The Books That Built Me

Review of Aqua Nueva

I lunched at Aqua Nueva a couple of weeks ago and ...

I lunched at Aqua Nueva a couple of weeks ago and adored it. The restaurant has recently undergone a beautiful new refit, with a re-invented menu offering an elegant, contemporary take on tapas: food was delicious and the restaurant was also busy and buzzy, no easy feat in town on a Friday lunchtime.

I ate a la carte, and had delicious fresh ceviche kind of things as well as clever updates on traditional dishes. I thought it was good value for food of this quality: and for when I'm feeling a little more on a budget, then the set lunch menu looked a really good choice. Everything is terribly prettily arranged too - very instagrammable.

If you like small sharing-plates style dining, and a scene that manages to balance hip modernity whilst still making you feel comfortable and relaxed, Aqua Nueva is definitely worth booking.

Its dark, sexy, intimate interior is perfect for forgetting that the summer weather is a wash-out (I was there on business, but I can see it has distinct romantic possibilities too). But if there's a rare sunny day, go early and get a table on the terrace.

I quite liked Aqua Nueva before though I didn't go often: its new incarnation is infinitely better thought through - slick, chic, delicious and fresh. It may well be my new favourite London lunch.