Scully

“Innovative food and full throttle flavours” – that’s how one reader describes the electric dining experience at Scully, even if at first glance it looks like another off-the-peg contemporary West End restaurant. The dining room is an on-trend mix of neutral colour tones and copper finishes, staff are smartly turned out in black shirts and there’s a bustling open kitchen of well-groomed chefs who turn out dishes with assembly-line precision.

It soon becomes clear, however, that there’s nothing run-of-the-mill about Scully. The restaurant is the first solo venture from ex-Nopi head chef Ramael Scully, who uses his polyglot heritage to create a menu that’s unlike anything else being served in London.

Scully’s menu consists of sharing plates (we’d recommend around five or six between two) and the marble-topped chef’s counter is undoubtedly home to the best seats in the house. Not only can you see the dishes being made, but you also get a run-down from the chefs themselves about everything that’s on the plate. While waiters and chefs explaining dishes can sometimes come off as patronising, the unusual ingredients here make it a vital part of the dining experience.

The stand-out dish for us was undoubtedly the arepa, a puffy Venezuelan cornmeal pancake. It is served whole alongside a bowl of aubergine sambal, and you’re encouraged to split it in half before adding the filling. The result is an intensely addictive riot of textures, combining the light heat of the sambal with the doughy shell of the arepa, tempered by a peppering of lime zest on its surface.

Elsewhere, salty fried tendon puffs are provided to dip into a mess of tomato sauce and oyster mayonnaise which bursts with umami flavour, while lusciously fatty pork belly is crowned with sticky crackling and served alongside a medley of greens that works to contain the richness.

Novel desserts such as a chocolate arepa stuffed with a blackcurrant-studded chocolate mousse also impress, while botanical cocktails and low-intervention wines match the creativity of the food. Plenty of London restaurants harp on about being an ‘experience’, but with its fastidious sourcing, unique dishes and knowledgeable staff, Scully feels both unforgettable and essential.

“Fusion flavours and textures to restore even the most jaded of palates” – that’s how one fan describes the food at this solo venture from ex-Nopi head chef Ramael Scully. Inside, all is cosily shabby-chic, with copper pendant lighting, potted plants and a fascinating glass-fronted pantry, stocked with herbs and spices. A large sharing table and an open kitchen create a communal vibe, but the marble-topped chef’s counter is undoubtedly home to the best seats in the house.

On offer is an intriguing menu that references Scully’s multicultural heritage, while confounding expectations when it comes to mixing and matching ingredients. Nearly all the seasonally changing sharing plates impress, from a tomato and coconut salad with green strawberries (summer in a bowl) to barbecued beef tendons, hidden by a dollop of smoky oyster mayo and served with salty fried tendon puffs for dipping – which are “like nothing else on earth”, according to one convert.

Elsewhere, there’s lusciously fatty pork belly with house-made XO sauce concealing a subtle flash of heat, and an outstanding plate of monkfish rubbed with sambal belacan, a tongue-tingling shrimp paste. Others single out the “audacious” arepa (a Venezuelan cornmeal pancake topped with aubergine relish and bergamot-infused labneh).

To finish, there’s a love-it-or-hate-it dessert of parsnip and coconut ice cream, although we were more impressed by a grapefruit sorbet which was paired up with a scoop of indulgent caramel ice cream – a delightful mix of sweet and sour. Fastidious sourcing, impressively well-informed staff and an unflappable kitchen team swapping jokes while turning out plates of pure wonder all help to make dining at Scully a thrilling and eye-opening experience.