Iranian restaurant to open in Covent Garden

Nutshell is the brainchild of Tehrani-born Mohammad Paknejad, and his partner Marwa Alkhalaf who was previously a chef at Mayfair’s two-Michelin-starred Greenhouse restaurant.

With the help of head chef Jeremy Borrow, formerly head chef at The Palomar in Soho, the couple will offer modern twists on traditional Iranian recipes.

Nutshell’s menu will ‘highlight the nuances of Iranian cuisine’ by ‘utilising the wealth of flavours and abundance of fragrant herbs that make up such a rich culinary landscape’.

Choices will include sharing plates and signature dishes adapted through the seasons, with breads and vegetables featuring heavily.

Many dishes will also be developed using brining, pickling, drying and fermentation methods, a staple in homes across Iran including Paknejad’s grandmother’s, who is said to regularly use 40-year-old pickled garlic in her cooking.

The restaurant will have 86 covers split over two floors, with an open kitchen and counter seating on the ground floor and a second bar upstairs

The first floor will also have a semi-private space offering groups a ‘true Iranian feasting experience’.