It goes without saying that Sicilian cooking is well known and loved and Zoom East; renowned chef Vittorio Meli’s first London opening, is a little slice of Sicily where classic dishes have been rejuvenated and familiar staples given a unique twist.

Contemporary, vibrant and welcoming and with a dining orangery and courtyard covered in greenery, Zoom East is as pretty as they come as far as restaurants go. We were especially pleased to discover that the Sicilian charm extends to the attentive staff and stunning food.

Strong earthy flavours and locally sourced ingredients are what give the menu at Zoom East their character. Speak to your waiter about choosing a wine to complement the dishes and you’re in for a memorable dining experience.

Kick off your meal with a bowl of fatty bite size slices of the Lipare salame that’s been matured for 50 days and flavored with salt and pistachios. We recommend you order this along with the signature juicy Nocellera olives, smothered in a moorish dill, garlic and chilli marinade. Tear into the breadbasket of focaccia and grissini, and use it to mop up the juices from the olive oil, parsley, rosemary and chilli drenched artichoke confit.

From the small plates on the menu, we guarantee that the deeply cheesy bubbling hot aubergine parmigiana will disappear in seconds. Make up for this by ordering the saffron and blue cheese arancini that oozes with a nutty crunch. It would be remiss to ignore the quintessentially Sicilian sardine rolls stuffed with parmesan, orange raisins and pine nuts.

For your mains, save room for the “Guazetto Di Pesce”, a comforting seafood stew of Cornish hake, olives, potato, capers and pear which is a nod to the influence of North African dishes on Sicilian cuisine. The grilled octopus nestled on a creamy bed of preserved lemon sauce, monk’s beard and crispy chickpeas is also impossible to resist.

For pudding you’ll want to try the overly creamy panna cotta which is as buttery and wobbly as it should be. As for pistachio ice cream? Could well be the best you find outside of Sicily.

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