Obika - mozzarella bar

 

City Pig’s summary

Snapshot
Cuisine/Speciality:	Italian – (Coffee and restaurant)
Price:	£15 for lunch each – average for pizza and a drink.
Healthy:	·         Healthy scale 4/5 Go for tomato based dishes.
Tasty:	·         3.5/5 – Food ·         3/5 – Service ·         3/5 – Comfort of dining in ·         3/5 - Value ·         3.5/5 – Overall rating
Occasion:	·         Business dining ·         After work dining ·         Lunch time dining
Address:	Canary Wharf branch: Unit 1 West Wintergarden, 35 Bank street, London E14 5NW
Opening times	Monday to Friday: 10am-10pm Saturday: 12-10pm
Eat in/Takeaway:	Eat-in and take-away
Recommended dishes & drinks	·         Pizza dishes ·         Salads – Caprese Classica
Vegetarian dishes	Suitable for Vegetarians.
Loyalty card	No.
Website	www.obika.co.uk

 

City Pig’s analysis

My search still continues in finding good lunch places in Canary Wharf, ever since I work there. I miss the City of London as there is always somewhere you can walk somehow discover a hidden gem. Unfortunately, the number of eateries versus the number of people working and living in Canary Wharf doesn’t quite provide the rich and varied cuisines found in the City.

Obika is located in Wintergarden and is very obviously a classy looking Italian café/restaurant. It is like an upmarket deli but its main focus is on mozzarella. Apparently it is flown in from Italy and this is what makes there dishes amazing.

I opted for the mozzarella salad and it didn’t fail to disappoint. It was soft but firm and just provided my mouth with freshness. The olive oil and balsamic vinegar is amazing. This simple dish gave such great satisfaction purely because of the high quality ingredients.

My friend tried the pizza and I obviously had a try as well. The pizza is more like a flatbread, crisp and thin. If you prefer thick crust you may not like this version. However, I loved it because the base of the pizza has this lightness and less of the usual doughy texture.

I think it is healthier as there were loads of vegetables on top and a flat base which means less carbs! The service is quite attentive but those coming on a Friday for lunch should book to secure a table, otherwise sitting by the bar is the only option.

The pizzas don’t come cheap and averaging around £11 is quite steep. However, this is Canary Wharf, prices are not cheap around there. For the quality of the ingredients it is worth coming here for a Friday lunch. It may not be super filling but all those Mediterranean ingredients must be good for you.

This is a great place to catch up with colleagues or friends for coffee as they have a separate coffee bar area and a casual t but at the same time slick place to be seen in restaurant.

I also like there chocolate and almond cake as this is not too sweet and just goes fantastic with a strong coffee. I recommend coming here if you want some Italian flavours and if you want to rid yourself of boredom.