Novikov, DO Believe The Hype!

 

Dear Munch Diaries,

What a year it's been?!

To keep it short, I'd say that 2020's been the year of awakening. For me it's been a major wake up call on many levels and almost a huge kick up the arse, reminding me of the important things in life and what I stand for. 

But you said "in 2020 we munch" and yes, that still stands now that I'm comfortable enough to return to my beloved COVID conscious restaurant scene. 

So now onto the celeb loved, infamous Novikov...

Sleek, spacious and simply fabulous!

My second visit to Novikov didn't miss! The occasion, a belated birthday celebration for my bestie San and to my delight the food was just a good as I had experienced on my first visit.

Upon entry we we're informed that our table wasn't ready just yet so we used the wait time to hold a bar-side photoshoot of course.

For those who don't know Novikov is spilt into three floors, downstairs hosting the lounge and Italian restaurant. Where upstairs hosts a bar and the Asian room.

The rather extensive menu lists both Dim Sum (Chinese cuisine) and Sushi dishes (Japanese cuisine) as well as charcoal/grill dishes so there really is something for everyone. 

With so much choice on offer, we decided to order a mix of dishes and sample them all between us.

To start we ordered from the Temaki Hand Roll Sushi menu:

The Crispy Salmon Cheese maki (£14), the Scallop & Jalapeno (£19), the Prawn Tempura & Avocado (£16) and the seared Salmon & Avocado (£13).

   

As well as the, Spicy Prawn moneybags (£11) and Spiced Chicken buns (£10) from the Dim Sum menu. Both which I LOVED, the texture of the chicken buns in particular were unreal. As they had been steamed and then lightly fried (hence the colouring). 

Making them soft, light and fluffy at first bite before you then discover the light crisp! Definitely a new favourite dish of mine.

  

The dishes arrived to the table all together and once we had taken the obligated Instagram snaps, we tucked in. 

For our mains we ordered the Honey & Lime Prawns (£23), Spicy Beef Fillet in Chilean Bean Sauce (£45), Sweet & Sour Chicken (£19), two portions of the Lamb cutlets (£35 each portion). Alongside Duck Fried Rice (£12), Prawn Fried Rice (£13) and a portion of Singapore Noodles (£14). 

If you're a lover of Chinese food and read that thinking, why the hell are the prices so high?! - I can assure you the dishes are well worth the price. The Beef and Lamb in particular were so tender, that I used my "Who needs teeth?! You could chew this with just your gums" phrase. 

Although, I did find the Sweet & Sour Chicken a little too tart for me. But I assume this was purely from vinegar and the fact that we heavily binged this dish as kids after secondary school, almost daily.

  

I would love to visit Novikov again as there are so many more Asian dishes to try, despite us ordering so many and I would love to try out the Italian area too. The low table lighting gives an instant intimacy vibes (hence the flash photography, apologies) and the loud background music is sure to put you in the mood to hit the fancy Mayfair clubs afterwards. 

We also managed to earn £60 off our bill thanks to the current #eatouttohelpout government scheme which definitely helped out when the bill came, lol!

  

Vibe - "Bad & Boujee"! Thee spot for luxurious food, celebrity spotting and new Instagram content.

Munch - Presentation yes! Flavours yes! Top quality and heaps of variety. 

Triple R - This was my second visit, but rest assure - this won't be my last!

 My Novikov Total Rating Score - 4/5

For more information;
Website - www.novikovrestaurant.co.uk
Telephone - 020 7399 4330 
Instagram - @novikovrestaurant