Kupp – Paddington – Scandi Bar and Dining

A Scandinavian Inspired Dining Experience in Paddington:

I must have picked one of the wettest days in May to visit Kupp.  And, with my notorious lack of any sense of direction, I quickly found myself going round in circles.  Thankfully, when I arrived at the buzzing bar-restaurant, I was greeted by friendly staff and the offer of a glass of fizz while I waited for my dining companion.  The-Hedonist and I have a long history of eating out together and he is often just a little late.  But, when I sent him a text, he replied to tell me that he’d never actually got the confirmation e-mail from me.  By the time he arrived, 40 minutes or so later, I was well into my second prosecco and feeling quite relaxed for all the wrong reasons.

We ordered a few of the dishes from the ‘graze and share’ section – Crushed Avocado & Crispbread was delicious and immediately devoured by two hungry diners.  Although it was a simple concept, we loved the fresh flavours and light, nutty crispbread

The mushroom flan was perhaps just a bit heavy on the pastry.  But, the light salad topping revealed a feast of mushrooms in a creamy Danish Blue sauce.

Beetroot and goats cheese salad is a classic dish, but here the goats cheese was whipped up to make a light creamy mixture.  An excellent mixture of fresh, tasty ingredients.

While the grazing dishes include a good mixture of vegetarian and pescatarian options, the mains were just a little limited for a non-meat eater.  Of course that didn’t cause me any problem and I tucked into an excellent plateful of grilled  venison loin with awith a ligonberry sauce, which came with beetroot and sour cream.

Meanwhile, The-Hedonist had just two hot main course options (salmon coulibiac or a roasted fennel dish) so opted for smoked mackerel & bulgar wheat salad with the roasted fennel on the side.

Now, I probably wouldn’t have shared dessert under normal circumstances.  But, given the lack of main course options, we agreed that sharing Sticky Chocolate & Hazelnut Cake with salted caramel ice-cream and then following with a cheese board.  The dessert would satisfy the cravings of any chocoholic and even I liked the ice-cream.

The cheeseboard was excellent, with a great mixture of Scandinavian cheeses; Västerbotten, Danish Blue, Marinated Goats Curd, Crisp bread & chutney

While Kupp is a bar/cafe rather than a destination restaurant, the ingredients were good quality, the cooking and presentation for the most part faultless and the concept was one that makes a lot of sense.

This is the sort of place you’d like to have close to your office so that you could relax after work with a beer or a glass of wine and share some food.  We understand that they plan to extend the menu and that they will be opening a number of new outlets over the coming months.  And, I’d heartily recommend popping in and trying some Scandi dining  for yourself. Oh, and when the weather is good, it will be an idyllic setting looking out over the Grand Union Canal – with a few outside tables that I suspect will disappear ultra quickly.

KuPP.
Unit 53,
5 Merchant Square,
Paddington, LONDON, W2 1AS