So I am a little obsessed in finding the best grilled octopus dishes. Some of the softest, most tender and delicious octopus I ate, is in Portugal, like at The Decadente in Lisbon or the Book in Porto, but short of jetting off to Portugal for a quick food fix, here are my top 3 places in London for grilled tender octopus.
At the Lurra restaurant near Marble Arch
The Lurra restaurant at 9 Seymour Place, London, W1H 5BA is a Spanish restaurant offering Basque dishes. Their soft grilled octopus comes with a piquillo sauce – spicy and divine. Try the courgette flowers too whilst you there.
At the Barbary restaurant in Covent Garden
At the Barbary restaurant at 16 Neal’s Yard, London, WC2H 9DP food is cooked right in front of you in their open kitchen. It’s a great intimate place, sadly like many other London restaurants, it takes no bookings, so be prepared to wait. If you manage to get a seat, the team behind the acclaimed Soho restaurant The Palomar, offer beautiful North African and Mediterranean dishes like grilled monkfish, kohlrabi salad and freshly baked Yemenite Kubaneh bread. Their octopus dish is served with chickpeas on a labneh base – delicious and so tender.
At the Oval Space Terrace in Hackney
Just opened the Summer Terrace at the Oval Space in Hackney, at 29-32 The Oval, London, E2 9DT, is serving Mediterranean food with an Israeli twist. Their Chef-In-Residence, Oded Oren, is serving several of my favourite Israeli dishes, like grilled cauliflower with labneh, smoked aubergine and tahini. If the sun is out, their open air summer terrace is a fantastic chill-out place.
Great summer hang-out, the Oval Space Terrace in Hackney
Looking out at this huge gasometer at the Oval Space Terrace