EL NIVEL: Guit-free Indulgence (Review)

Up and down the country people have given up something. For most its fattening foods or alcohol; for some its swearing and others its to carry on all of the above but to perhaps do it from the discomfort of the treadmill, once or twice more often.

However in London, the capital where not many of us have exactly that, the folk love to drown their too-skint-to-get-on-the-property-ladder faces into indulgent food and drink – taking away the pain, easing renters wrist and somewhat numbing tenants tendon.

But removing the vices will of course send the city into a miserable melt down – which is why here at Its Rude To Stare we condone an ‘everything in moderation’ attitude… a little bit of everything is nice right?

Biding by our ‘Rude Rules’ El Nivel in Covent Garden serve up a selection of small plates, to orbit your table and your gullet accordingly.

Summoning up a cultural breadth of plates (spanning England, Asia and even Latin America) we gorged on: Coctel de Mariscos, which is an instagram worthy mix of king prawns, scallops and avocado with ‘Sangita’ cocktail sauce and a small plate of o-so tender yellow fin tuna topped with alfalfa and chilli sauce. We next engulfed some chubby little cubes of teriyaki pork belly, sprinkled with sesame seeds and finally some delicious lime marinated chicken enmoloadas with crumbled goats cheese.

Created by the family that brought us Ocho Teqila the bar pays homage to some of the most spectacular Algarvian sprits. Sampling just a couple of these we sipped on a Mezcal Fix – QuiQuiQui mezcal, roasted pineapple, a hint of lime, saltwater and Cynar and then we tried a Perasecco, which would also be advised, with pear puree, Del Mguey Crema de Mezcal and finished with a healthy dash of prosecco.

During this dreary month, where wrists and slapped and belt buckles are tightens El Nivel conversely celebrate a little bit of everything that’s good. Take advantage of their small plates as this is a visit, which you should never feel guilty about.

www.elnivel.co.uk

28 Alto Maiden Lane
London