Mazi Star

A couple of months ago I was invited to dinner in Notting Hill, specifically at a Greek restaurant called Mazi. 

THAT Feta Tempura...

This was a good thing for two reasons. First, just the week before a friend had been raving about the feta tempura she'd enjoyed at this great neighborhood Greek place in Notting Hill... And secondly it gave me the opportunity to relive my early 90s youth and link to this , via my preferred medium of the dodgy pun. 

The feta tempura was every bit as good as id been led to believe, a triumph of textures and flavours - it's accompanied by caper meringue and lemon marmalade - and the crunch of the delicate batter and the soft, salty, melty innards was testament to the kitchen's frying and sourcing skills. Even better though, it wasn't the high point of the meal. 

Nestled in their charming, and totally unexpected, garden, we grazed and supped, supped and grazed... Even a huge downpour didn't disturb the gentle gluttony, as there's a retractable canopy protecting most of the seating area from the elements. 

The Tzatziki Martini

There's some very clever ideas here, and several twists on the Hellenic theme. Happily, unlike a few places I could mention, they're twists that work,not just novelty acts. The tzatziki Martini is a fine case in point, but then so is the shredded rabbit stifado, the grilled aubergine with soy and thyme honey, the squid ink fava bean puree with the fried calamari, the lemon caviar boost to the fish roe mousse...This is Greek, alright, but not as you know it.  

Grilled aubergine with soy and thyme honey

Shredded rabbit stifado and pearl onion cream

In simple terms, what Mazi does is just great cooking, from a team that understands ingredients, the heritage of the cuisine, the fashions of modern dining and old school hospitality. And who then top it all off with loukmades,lavender honey and chocolate sorbet. 

Loukmades, lavender honey, chocolate sorbet

Apparently they've been voted the best doughnuts in London. I don't know who sits on that panel but they're probably right in this instance: its a superb, lighter than you'd expect, smartly executed pudding. 

I've probably mentioned before that I find it increasingly hard to answer that "what's the best restaurant in London?" question,and so typically have a list of about five places I recommend to those who ask, a mix of stalwarts, the unexpected, and some neighborhood secrets. Mazi is now on the list and I suspect it'll be there for some time to come.