Nutshell - Central Dr, Hornchurch

In a Nutshell…… Food quality 9/10, Portion size 5/10, Price 6/10 The service was friendly and the venue design was a little made.com. Being sat downstairs meant we could see the kitchen staff. Some looked a bit bored, albeit occasionally joked between each other. Would be great to see how this could be made more inclusive as I’ve been to places with an open kitchen and they use this space to create a buzzing atmosphere and encourage customers to be sat around and watch the food unfold. We went for the set menu for two people. When the hummus came out, it was the equivalent of 2 tablespoons of their hummus with herbs on top. It was nice and tasty and it set the tone for the portion sizes of what was to come. At £45 per head, the plates were more a taster whereby two scoops of each dish was the quantity standard. The mushroom croquettes were nice, yet small in size. The dessert was yum and plated beautifully. The quality of the ingredients were good overall. Add a £30 bottle of wine and water and the bill came to £140. It felt very steep for what we received on the plate.

Incredible the flavours are amazing, delicate and the plates very refined. The lamb is our of this world, but all the other dishes we tried were very flavourful. A true gem with original flavours and associations. The waiters and the setting are also very nice, the only downside is maybe that the value for money of the dishes is unequal (the date tart was £8 for a small piece, but the lamb was c.£23 for a large portion full of flavours and ingredients). Go there, one of the best Middle Eastern restaurant we tried in London!

Nutshell is in a great location. The decor is very nice and they have created a good atmosphere. The service is also very good. The menu is interesting a lot of the food lacked seasoning or just flavour in general. I actually found some dishes to be quite bland for instance the hummus. The bread is delicious. The mushroom croquettes were decent. The beetroot dish was tasty. They appear to know how to cook meat very well the lamb was outstanding (although we both needed to add salt) however as an overall dish it’s somewhat lacking. Without ordering a side of the chips you would be left hungry. The deserts were good. Cocktails seemed good too. Almost everything is hugely overpriced. We ordered the set menu and were told we would get all the starters (we did not) and, they offer a specific cocktail as part of the set menu however if you don’t want that specific drink they are not able offer a different drink as part of the deal. Overall an interesting place to go once I won’t be rushing back.

The food was amazing and the service was good, but all of a sudden, they rushed us to finish our meal and get out. The weird thing is that we made a reservation and placed our order for a cocktail and the four course tasting meal almost immediately. We ate as fast as they brought the food, but they said that our reservation was only for an hour and forth five minutes, we were taking too long and we needed to clear out before the next table shows up. How exactly are we suppose to eat a four course meal plus a cocktail beforehand in that timeframe. It’s an insult to the food. An amazing meal and kind service went down the drain instantly as they acted like we were doing something wrong. As if the next table was royalty, we were warned we had to rush when they brought out dessert. Then literally 5 min later, we were scolded for not being finished and brought the check. We paid as we tried to finish. Then two min later some guy, presumably the boss, comes over and yells at us to get up. Bizarre! A five star restaurant with a four star ending in the matter of 10 min.

I love this place a lot! Super nice and elegant interior, exquisite food! Always come here when I’m in the neighborhood. The food is super refreshing! I’m a bit fed up with pizza and pasta. The menu here is not like in other places and it’s constantly changing. Could you please bring back green dates? They are the best what I’ve tried IN YEARS! I read a lot of comments about portion sizes and high prices, but: 1. You can go to some other places, where pizzas and burgers are served, you’ll be well fed there. Isn’t it a bit absurd to go to a high cuisine restaurant and then complain it doesn’t serve a kilo per dish? 2. Prices are a bit high, but consider the ingredients (which are excellent), interior design and location. Again, isn’t it a bit absurd to go to a restaurant (not a cafe) in the city centre and expect to be charged £15 per person? It’s impossible. The staff was always nice and friendly to me.