NINA ZENOVYA
Sabor
LONDON
29 September 2019
I was taken for lunch recently by a good friend to Sabor on Heddon Street. Embarrassingly this has never crossed my radar, despite being the brain child of Nieves, the executive chef from Baraffina and having a Michelin star.
We arrived on a Friday lunchtime and were met with an extremely warm welcome. The décor is somewhat sparse, with exposed brickwork but with open kitchens on both floors it more than makes up for this in atmosphere.
We were handed a small, unassuming menu detailing what they had to offer along with a lovely little blackboard of handwritten specials. I can’t recall the exact details of what we ordered but what I can remember is that it was all exemplary. A fig and goat’s cheese empanada, some cheesy croquettes. Purple potatoes (my favourites) with two of the most sensational salsas known to man. And of course the pig’s head croquette. Everything was perfect. Perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned, perfectly presented.
And as if to cement my already superlative thoughts, I was utterly indecisive about which wine to drink, so the waiter bought me a taster of both options. Can we briefly discuss the last time anyone in London offered to do this?! And then, having ordered two of the three ice creams on offer (saffron & honey, goat’s cheese), he brought a scoop of the third because, he couldn’t bear to see us miss the last one.
As if the food, service and all round atmosphere was not enough, I was hailed over by one of the chefs who demanded I watch him theatrically drop an octopus into a huge pan. Instagram live stories eat your heart out.
The place is divine; you must go.
Sabor
35-37 Heddon Street
Mayfair
London W1B 4BR