After making its name with Peruvian restaurants, the Pachamama group has moved to the Med
First came Zephyr in Notting Hill in 2022 and two years later, Bottarga has landed in Chelsea, taking over the spot where the group’s seafood-focused Chicama. The place looks much the same – there’s still an open kitchen and marble counter running down the length of the L-shaped room – though some fun myth-themed artwork on the walls gives some clues to its new Greek identity. And it was absolutely heaving, both inside and on the terrace, during our Saturday lunch visit so clearly the locals have taken to the change well.
Eat This
Like Zephyr, the Bottarga menu is Greek-inspired, drawing particular influence from the Aegean Islands, but it’s been billed as “younger and more casual’ than its Notting Hill big sis.
Chef Tzoulio Loulai is leading the kitchen, with some input from Pachamama’s original head chef Adam Rawson, and he’s made use of many Greek ingredients (including olive produced by his father, Amfissa olives and olive oil rusks from Kythira).
Dips are a big part of a Greek meal and as well as the excellent smoked aubergine and tzatziki from the dedicated spreads section of the menu, there are also great condiments that come with some of the other mezze dishes – black garlic aioli pairs perfectly with sweet rounds of courgette tempura and calamari, made extra crispy thanks to a coarse, panko-style breading, is served with a zingy chilli jam mayo.
The saganaki bites, soft cheese crusted in sesame and coated in thyme honey and chilli, are not to be missed, and it’s worth getting something from the raw section too to offer a bit of freshness; we loved the citrusy dressing on the yellowtail.
There are lots of lovely things off the grill, including the lamb belly, laden with oregano-heavy Greek Easter seasoning and charred, crispy fat. Add on some burnt butter-bathed confit potatoes with garlic aioli and a big bowl of Greek salad with barrel-aged feta, capers and rusks, and you’ve got all the Greek essentials – meat, potatoes, salad – covered.
Greek puds are notoriously sweet but the orange pie, with orange cream and kumquat, was too dense and syrupy for us, so unless you’ve got a raging sweet tooth, go for one of the other desserts.
Drink This
Mediterranean wines are well represented on the list – we loved the mineraly and fresh Rouvalis Assyrtiko – but there’s also a selection of Greek spirits and a short list of cocktails if you want something stronger.
Why Go
Bottarga does recognisable Greek dishes very well, with just a few touches that extend beyond the Mediterranean thrown in, like the yuzu jalapeño yellowtail (though very much something you’d get at a beach club in Mykonos, so therefore absolutely right for Chelsea). And given how busy it was at lunch, we can only imagine it gets very vibey come evening.
Key Information
Address | 383 King’s Road, London SW10 0LP
For more information | bottarga.london