Kopapa

I had some misgivings about Kopapa from the start. Despite looking rather sultry from the outside, once inside that mood lighting appeared more brusque than beatific, serving to highlight the ugly tiled floors, the factory-form walls and the tightly hemmed seating. Worse, we had several minutes to enjoy this view as we waited for our ‘host’ to seat us, in spite of a surfeit of other waiters buzzing around the floor. A fear was rising – I had brought my date to London’s most expensive, most pretentious greasy spoon.

Of course, this was not how Kopapa thought of itself and the menu was an exotic – if somewhat exhausting – tour across diverse continents and categories. However that feeling that this might be all veneer remained, and our waitress, though friendly, had a distinct lack of conviction about both the food and wine we enquired of.

We pressed on keen, at least, to drink through it with a serviceable and reasonably-priced Sauvignon Blanc to help mask the cobbled together food we were surely about to receive.

An opener of babaganoush and olives hardly helped, the olives having a sharp, almost pickled hit, while the babaganoush, though texturally sound missed a hit of seasoning that might have taken it above shop-bought standard.

Happily, however, this lack of substance did not continue and some dishes hit real high notes. A chickpea, pepper and feta salad was bold and bright. Beef cheeks were tender and well-balanced with mash and a just-sweet grape sauce, while spiced squid was well-cooked for crunchy bite and with a smoked aioli that stayed just the right side of charred. A plantain and sweet potato tortilla missed the mark slightly, though more because of odd, rectangular presentation than any fault in cooking. The feeling, overall, was that most of what we ate was good and that actually, there was plenty more on this menu that we could come back and try.

Kopapa makes for a slightly strange experience then. We walked out well-fed and with barely a memory of the industrial-styled dining room. And yet, it has some serious flaws in service, style and even some of the cooking. Treated as a restaurant it might not pass muster, but underneath those bright lights, one could also easily read Kopapa as a greasy spoon for the crème fraiche generation, somewhere relatively calm and comfortable, but also somewhere to try out new fun, fresh new flavours.

I've been here a few times and always enjoyed myself although this last visit was a bit disappointing. Ideally located for a trip to the Cambridge Theatre, the service was charming but chaotic – sat at the wrong table, moved, forgot to take our coats etc- and the food (perhaps I've eaten the same things too many times now) felt hastily prepared and very oversalted. I do still recommend if you haven't been before, one of the better Covent Garden choices.

I have been eating with Peter Gordon for as long as I can remember.

The Sugar Club when it was out west and also when it was where Nopi is now. Providores for brunch. Now Kopapa.

Compared to Providores – a little bigger – a few new things on the menu -handy for being that end of the world.

Service was a tad lacklustre and everything was just OK. Am sure that it will get a lot better. He always does.

Dinner after the theatre is a well-desired treat. If the play is good you can discuss the inner meanings and if it is bad you have earned your supper.

Kopapa is ideally situated for a post Donmar meal and last night, after having seen Harold Pinter’s Moonlight, I had earned supper for the next millennium. The play was an insult to my intelligence and as my guest said ‘you might as well tape record you conversations at home and pretend that is a play’. I am a great fan of the Donmar but this was a complete waste of time.

So our 9pm table could not have come quick enough. I’m of an age that I can still get goose bumps remembering the opening week of Sugar Club and the arrival of the term ‘Fusion’ cooking to the London scene by Peter Gordon.

Kopapa’s informal, café style atmosphere works well and on the whole he delivers with some interesting cross-border-combos – the ‘Master stock pork belly on shiitake & ginger congee with sweet chilli glaze’ was delicious although I could have done with a bigger portion. Good set of summery salads that are livened up with various ingredients. Mains are a tenner so worth ordering a few and share. Good list of new world wines, as you would expect. All in all most enjoyable and we concluded, after two bottles of Kiwi Pinot, that we would return to Kopapa but never to Pinter.

Every now and then I'm lucky enough to experience a meal that leaves me wanting to go back the very next day for more. Kopapa is one of those rare gems that instills such a thought in my head and leaves me salivating for another bite of the delicious morsels I was lucky enough to indulge in the night before.

The food is the star here but that doesn't mean items like decor, drinks list and service are neglected, as I found out from a sip of my St Germaine Royale served with a smile. Our waitress was ever helpful and consistent throughout the night, which is refreshing and although they did forget one dish, we were more than suitably satisfied with our selection of tapas dishes.

The highlights for me were the crunchy deep fried padron peppers, a gorgeous oozing twice baked blue cheese souffle and succulent pan fried hapuka seabass with a zingy beurre blanc. Desserts aren't without inspiration either and both the cheese platter and the sticky banana pudding and peanut butter ice cream left us with a classic Cheshire cat grin. I found myself dreaming of that peanut butter ice cream when I woke up this morning!

One thing worth noting, Kopapa does demand slightly higher prices per dish than your average tapas inspired venue, but then these are not ‘average’ dishes. Worth a visit or two, or three…

Went there last night for a meal with friends we hadn't seen for awhile after reading a recommendation in The Week. Tables are very close together and I do believe that the couple on the table next to us didn't talk all night but just listened to us, a little unnerving, and the proximity definitely affected our enjoyment a little. The food is amazing though once we'd worked out how to order, we had a range of tapas (all big enough so the four of us could taste, but small enough to leave you wanting more) followed by some main courses to share (highlight for me was the middle white pork belly, although the others thought the squid the star) all of which were very good. Wine list was solid and the final price reasonable. I would definitely come again, but will make sure that it is a Thursday or Friday night, hopefully the liveliness will make the shoe-horning of tables less intrusive.

Chef and Godfather of Fusion cookery Peter Gordon's Kopapa Cafe deserves a special mention as it is literally the first place in London that I wishes was located right next to my house. Reason? Because on weekend, this is just the kind of place where I could happily indulge in breakfast/brunch or a languid lunch with friends and family. The menu is absolutely superb with a wide variety of breakfast and lunch dishes that are truly captivating and exotic. Along with the more traditional breakfast dishes, you can get ‘Turkish eggs’ a wonderful dish I had when in Istanbul. For those wanting to avoid the key breakfast ingredients, why not try a mouth-watering seared tuna with a side of papaya salad? This clicks of ruby seared tuna with a sweet and citrusy dressing.

There is a delightful little counter bar where you can get full service and watch the friendly staff conjure up magical smoothies and exotic blends of juices using Tamarillo, Kiwi and the like… On display in the corner are 3 mini-mountains of baked goods including blueberry and white chocolate muffins, chorizo and feta cheese muffins and HANDS-DOWN the most amazing date scones you will ever try. The coffee is absolutely superb and in such a touristy neighbourhood as Covent Garden, you will be hard pushed to find better coffee and with 2 Greeks and a Polish friend in tow, I can't afford to go anywhere where the coffee is dreadful! Overall the whole experience was such so unhurried and pleasurable and the staff are beyond attentive and accommodating.