Kapara
James Court
London
GB
W1D 4AL
020 80797 467
What’s the draw?
After the roaring success of Southwark spot Bala Baya, ex-Ottolenghi chef Eran Tibi is back with his second restaurant Kapara. It’s a lively and chic Soho dining spot that channels pure Tel Aviv hedonism – and we mean hedonism. Think 'cocktails called the Glory Mole and a bathroom decorated with phallic tiles' kind of hedonism. It’s what happens when you give a bunch of crazy Israelis free reign over two floors in central Soho and it's completely amazing. Expect Middle Eastern small plates, Israeli wines, sexy cocktails, and an atmosphere of playful debauchery you might find in a Tel Aviv club, and you're on the right track.
What to drink
The drinks list is all about gazoz, Israeli wine and cocktails. There are a lot of outrageous drinks on offer (with even more outrageous names), including the aforementioned Glory Mole (tequila, hibiscus and cardamom), Part-Time Lover (Vodka, pimento and caraway) and HIGH 5 BI*CH! (spiced rum, sherry, pineapple and sesame). Alongside a selection of delicious Israeli wines (they don’t come cheap), there are Kapara’s signature gazoz, a refreshing, old-school Israeli soda infused with botanical herbs, ferments, fruits and syrups, served either non-alcoholic or with prosecco, vodka, gin or arak.
What to eat
In short, the prawn baklava, a semi-life-changing dish made of huge king prawns wrapped in a fried tangle of kadaifi pastry served with sticky bitters, Persian lime and nori dust. Beyond prawns, the crispy polenta cod collar with fermented and dried tuna aioli, black bream ceviche with scotch bonnet and cheeky bums (chicken oysters skewer with butter chilli, purple lettuce and house pickle) are all must-orders. For those overwhelmed – or too inebriated – to order (the cocktails are really quite drinkable), there's also a set menu for £64 per person, which gives you the full Kapara bells and whistles. Expect plates of whole red snapper with burnt sage, pools of silky hummus, fluffy pittas, a Medjool date sticky toffee pudding, and much more.