Nipotina has the charm of a neighbourhood restaurant, but the elegance of when said neighbourhood is Mayfair. The brainchild of restaurateur Samyukta Nair, the space, which occupies a quiet corner on Audley Street, has a cosy and artistic bent, with quirky scenes of bending bouquets and gingham tablecloths hung on the dusty pink walls. There are accents of deep crimson, appearing in tiled doorways, globular table lamps and salt and pepper shakers, and curving sofas coated in a slick olive leather. There’s amber glassware and squishy cushions, all illuminated by a similarly-tinged light that beckons you off of the rainy pavement.
The food is equally as inviting. The kitchen is helmed by Somaia Hammad, a Turin-born chef whose connection to crafting traditional, warming Italian dishes is in her blood. Her father was also a chef, and she spent many nights helping her Grandma, who came from the southern region of Puglia before moving north, create delicious dishes to serve the family. It’s this passion for the breadth of Italian cuisine which seeps into the food served at Nipotina – a name which directly translates to granddaughter, recalling the recipes and instincts passed down across the generations.
As such, seasonal produce is at the heart of Nipotina, so much so, next month they will be launching an entire menu built around white truffle (a delectable ingredient harvested in Italy between October to December). You can also currently order a specially crafted Autumno pizza, topped with pumpkin cream, roasted mushrooms and crispy basil. When I visited, newly added items on the menu also included a Burrata con Barbabietola, its creamy texture cut through by sweet, candied purple and golden beetroot and an egg raviolone, paired with rich porcini mushrooms and a creamy sage and butter sauce. Each dish was plated with care without being fussy, with the produce being the main focus. Along with the new dishes, me and my guest also split the seabass, perfectly charred and encircled with thinly-sliced courgette, paired with some crispy smashed potatoes. And it wouldn’t be a proper Italian meal without finishing on a tiramisù. Nipotina’s was light, fresh and also perfect split between two.
Nipotina is the kind of place you can settle into and lose track of time. There’s a warmth to its setting and a generosity to its plates, yet its refinement is never in question. In a neighbourhood crowded with restaurants vying for attention, Nipotina makes a quieter, more enduring case for itself – good food, rooted in generations of tradition, served with the soul of an Italian family table.
Photography courtesy of Nipotina.
