As diverse as London is in terms of the restaurants and styles of food on offer, there are still many cuisines yet to be fully explored in the capital. Until Marwa Alkhalaf and her husband Mohammad opened Nutshell in 2019, Iranian food in the UK predominantly consisted of menus centred around kebabs and rice. At Nutshell, however, Alkhalaf wanted to showcase the variety of the country’s produce-driven cuisine in a modern and creative way.

Tucked away in the heart of the West End, the restaurant’s unassuming exterior features a couple of tables for al fresco dining. The inside is contemporary in feel and bursting with colour, immediately differentiating it from the Iranian kebab houses that Londoners might be used to. Greenery hangs down above the open kitchen and bar, while bright pink chairs sit around the tables and up at the counter, with patterned tiles covering the floor.

In keeping with the move towards dining out becoming more environmentally friendly, sustainability is at the heart of regional Iranian cuisine – something that’s very clear to see from both Nutshell’s low-waste à la carte and set menus, which also feature a number of vegan and vegetarian dishes. Starters on offer might include smoky aubergine with caramelised feta, fried shallots and pomegranate or mushroom croquettes, barberry and burnt onion yoghurt, while you can expect main courses such as celeriac, jackfruit and rice kofte with beetroot purée or perhaps grilled lamb rump with apricot purée, golden raisins and tomato salsa. Diners can finish with takes on traditional desserts like bastani – an Iranian ice cream made with pistachios.

In terms of the drinks on offer at Nutshell, a predominantly low-intervention wine list includes plenty of options by the glass and bottles, while cocktails go beyond the classics; a Tipsy Doogh, for example, features fermented yoghurt, spices, and rose gin. A number of non-alcoholic options, such as a mandarin, date, lemon and saffron soda, are also available.

Nutshell is still almost single-handedly representing modern Iranian food in London today, but given the manner in which it has been received since opening, with critics praising Alkhalaf’s cooking, it could be the start of an Iranian food revolution in the capital.