Kima | ‘Fin-To-Gill’ Dining in Marylebone
Make no bones about it, zero-waste dining is the future.
And the good news is that there are already a handful of flag-bearers demonstrating that eating sustainably can also mean eating very, very well. It started with the pioneering ‘nose-to-tail’ revival led by Trevor Gulliver and Fergus Henderson at St John, and now Andreas Labridis and Nikos Roussos are hoping to do the same for seafood at Kima.
You’ll find it opposite its older sibling OPSO in Marylebone, taking residence in an exceptionally intimate space with room for just a few diners. It’s refined, but the deep blue banquettes and whitewashed walls are almost enough to persuade you that you’re in a sun-drenched Greek taverna (helped along by a soundtrack of breezy Balearic beats).
The first thing you’ll see when you enter, however, is the raw bar showcasing the pick of the day’s swimmers, as well as their fresh pearl factories – they’re currently serving up Carlingford oysters, which come served with either unripe vinegar & red onion, or a fennel salsa. After that you’ll come face-to-face with their dry-ageing cabinets, whose hefty blocks of Himalayan salt are serving to dehydrate (and slowly intensify the flavour of) the enormous hunks of fish resting inside. These hunks are carefully butchered cuts that make the most of the whole fish, from what the Kima team are calling the ‘shank’ (the meaty part of the fish that tapers towards the tail) to the ‘collar’ – via huge racks of tuna ribs which can be sliced just like steak.
Steven Joyce
You’ll be encouraged to pick out the cut that takes your fancy, or even an entire wild Greek fish from Red mullet to Pink bream and Sea bass, which will then be whisked down to the kitchen and prepared ‘Fin to Gill’ in various ways: part of the fish is served raw and thinly sliced , or as an Athenian salad with fish tartare, then the head and collars are chargrilled, before the remainder is slung over charcoal and presented to you as a main, either on a bed of fricassee (egg and lemon sauce & wilted greens) or ‘giouvetsi’, a traditional Greek stew of orzo and tomato. The sea bass carpaccio on our visit was astounding – little slivers of rose-tinged fish so tender it could almost dissolve on the tongue, dressed in lemon zest, thyme, rock salt and some truly amazing olive oil (it’s a big deal here – they’ve spent a lot of time finding the right one, and it’s an intensely flavourful oil made from unripe Manaki olives).
If you’d rather sample a range of dishes, you can also order three or four to share from the à la carte. Here you’ll find oysters dressed with fennel salsa; eel ‘soutzoukaki’ (lamb meatball) with egg yolk; and octopus xidato. You might have previously come to the conclusion that you’re not an octopus person, but here it’s gorgeously tender on the inside; crisp and caramelised on the outside, owing to the sweet but earthy red wine vinegar marinade. Oh, and don’t be led to believe the smoked potato mash with pickled mustard seeds would be a good side to share. You need one of those bad boys each, and a personal spoon.
To accompany your feast, you can take your pick from the varied Greek wine list, the selection of sake, or even one of the signature cocktails – the Feta Sour is made with traditional Greek drinks like ouzo and mastiha infused with feta for two days, then clarified. And you’ll also want to save a sliver of space for the ’75 Dots Seaweed Mille Feuille’ – a dessert-slash-sculpture where sheets of nori seaweed, rather than pastry, are sandwiched together by as many dots of coffee cream & amaretto jelly.
And trust us, you won’t be letting any of that go to waste either.
NOTE: Kima is open Tue-Sun. You can find out more, and book a table, HERE.
PERK: Nudge Members +1 enjoyed 50% off oysters and a complimentary glass of champagne each for two months. Don’t miss the next Nudge Member Perk – sign up for a free 7 day trial.
Kima | 57 Paddington Street, W1U 4JA
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