If Nuala were a racehorse, it would have a fine pedigree, and get off to a flying start. But then the going gets hard
Nuala, 70-74 City Road, London EC1Y 2BJ (020 3904 0462). Meal for two, including drinks and service, £120
Sometimes this job is akin to going down the bookies, only with more despair and no fruit machines. You’re looking for a winner, so you study the lineage, like some dodgy eugenicist. Where have the key personnel been? What promise is buried deep in their DNA? Then you look at current form. What are they doing? How does it compare to the rest of the field? If it all adds up you invest a slab of time and money in the hope they’ll romp home.
This is a kitchen in touch with its inner, grunting caveman. It has to be worth a punt
A heap of softly cooked, pearly-white squid is mixed through with crisped bacon, because bacon improves everything
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