Smile and the whole world smiles with you…
I don’t remember the last time I was welcomed so warmly into a restaurant. What a breath of fresh air. During the whole night there were genuine smiles all around from front of house and everything was described with such enthusiasm. You could tell this was a team who loved what they were doing. Were we really in London? I felt transported to Greece.
Having just ate a mediocre meal on the Eurostar from Paris I was really wanting and expecting Kima to deliver something exceptional tonight. I’m pleased to say they did. I have not eaten Greek food this good in London yet until this night. Everybody looked incredibly happy here, something that I haven’t seen on this level since post Covid. It indeed set a wonderful tone for the evening.
Starting off with a Kima G and T firmly stating my return on English soil then easing into the food first with Bottarga on toast. Lemon zest on top was a new addition for me. So obvious yet I didn’t think to do it. Bread and condiments were bought out at my request at the start. Kima caters for gluten and gluten free in the bread department. The sign of a good place.
Fish souvlaki next served on a taco so you can fold it/roll it up (or do whatever you want) With bone marrow inside. Perhaps not to everyone’s preference but I could have polished off three more. Serving it in a pitta bread instead would please the traditionalists.
Octopus Xiado- When all you serve is octopus on a large platter there is no where to hide. You are basically telling us ‘We know how to do Octopus’ It was indeed perfectly cooked, being absolutely tender yet with a slight crisp on the outside. Simply prepared but always the simplest things are the hardest to get right. They got it right here.
Aged Tuna steak- We asked where the tuna was coming from and to our surprise it was coming from Denmark. I appreciated the honesty; the waiter could have said it came from Greece. Despite this the grill marks were well defined, and the tuna tasted exceptional. Accompanied by smoked mash potato with pickled mustard on the side, chargrilled lettuce with taramas dressing and broccoli smoked and charcoaled with Greek yogurt wasabi. The spotlight however was on the lettuce flaked with a generous portion of dried bonito. How can you make a lettuce taste this good… The taramas dressing only elevated it. Please give me lettuce like this everyday. Then the smoked mash potato married together with the smokiness of the aged Tuna. They belonged together clearly.
For dessert we decided to put into battle, the 75 dots seaweed millefeuille and citrus curd Kaimaki ice cream, extra virgin olive oil. The citrus curd won delivering a refreshing and light end to a wonderful Greek feast. For once the olive oil addition was used with intent and meaning.
With happy, attentive, yet professional service, and high-level Greek cookery to match, you will not have a wasted night here at Kima. You will walk away feeling happy, satisfied and want to return when you are craving your next Greek adventure.
