I’m at Side Hustle at the NoMad. The hotel opened the previous day ( the 25th of May) and the staff are, not surprisingly, extremely eager to please.
Not that they particularly need to try, however. Everything is perfectly fine anyway: everyone knows their roles to a T and nothing is too much trouble. And then there’s the venue. A huge amount of effort and time has clearly gone into the restoration of the building, and the interiors and furnishings are quite breathtaking.
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Side Hustle is typical of this. Set in the building’s former Police Station, the bar come restaurant has a sleek yet elegant feel, with brown wood panelling and a sea green leather wall covering.
Dominated by a central bar which runs the length of one wall, the venue is the NoMad’s version of the traditional English pub. Being an American chain, however, the walls of the venue are not surprisingly dominated by images of Americana, with a few quirky shots of England thrown in for good measure.
The atmosphere is that of a sleek and convivial saloon bar and I could imagine myself whiling away many an afternoon here. It is not the biggest of venues but this allows the restaurant/bar to feel cosy and intimate.
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But what of the food, I hear you ask. Well, I can happily report that this passes muster too, with Executive Chef Ashley Abodeely’s Mexican-influenced cuisine holding up admirably well.
The Pork Carnitas Tacos is a case in point. The pork is crisp and tender and the seasoning is refreshing and flavoursome.The Baja’s style prawn tacos is even better. The prawns are plump and succulent and the Morita mayo complements them perfectly. Heck, even the chicharrons are good – Jurassic sized with two well chosen sauces (smoked chilli and citrus crema).
The cocktails are excellent, too, with Bar Director Pietro Collina favouring an agave-based selection, with Mexican influences rubbing up against classic and contemporary British, European and American offerings.
I need to say a word about the NoMad hotel’s customer service, however. I know it is the opening week, and the staff are clearly eager to please, but the company has really picked a great bunch of guys and gals, if this first visit is anything to go by.
Lianna, Jason, Danilo & Pietro are warm, welcoming, friendly and attentive throughout my visit and their excellent customer service goes a long way to making the afternoon a delight.
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The NoMad hotel’s Side Hustle restaurant is a delight: cosy, warm and full of charming people and great food. The menu is small but well chosen and you can tell real care and thought has gone into the food choices. Outstanding!
More information about Side Hustle at the NoMad Hotel can be found here.
For information about other places to eat and drink in London, please click here.
