Live fire · Six nights a week
Everything here meets the flame before it meets the plate.
Nola Crest is a single-room hearth kitchen. One wood oven, one grill, one market list rewritten each morning — and a menu short enough that the cooks know every plate by heart.
- Dinner service
- Tuesday to SundaySeatings from five in the evening, last order ninety minutes before close.
- The counter
- Eight seats nightlySeven courses served across the pass, released one month ahead.
- The list
- Rewritten dailyWhatever the boats and the growers send is what we cook that night.
The room
Thirty-four seats, one long counter, and an open hearth you can hear from every table.
The Kitchen
Wood, salt, smoke and
very little else.
Our cooking runs on two heat sources: an oak-fired oven that stays lit from mid-afternoon, and a grill we bank down through service so the embers do the slow work. There is no induction line and no sous-vide bath behind the pass.
That constraint decides the menu. Ingredients either take fire well or they do not appear, which is why you will find whole fish, dry-aged cuts, field vegetables and bread — and why the list stays short.
Buying happens early. The kitchen writes a list at dawn, calls the boats and the two farms we work with year-round, and prints the menu once the deliveries are unpacked. Dishes come off when the ingredient runs out rather than when the season officially ends.
Cooking for a restriction? Tell us when you request a table. Most of the hearth menu can be adapted, and the kitchen would rather plan a dish than improvise one at seven in the evening.
The Counter
Eight seats, seven courses, served by the cooks themselves.
The counter runs the length of the pass. There is no printed menu — courses arrive as the fire is ready, and the cook who made the dish is the one who puts it down in front of you. Expect a little more fish, a little more fermentation, and one or two things that never make it to the dining room.
- FormatSeven courses, roughly two hours at the pass.
- Price125 per guest, wine pairing offered at the table.
- SeatingOne sitting nightly, Tuesday through Saturday.
- ReleaseSeats open a month ahead on the first Tuesday.
Gatherings
The Cellar Room, for tables too large for the dining floor.
A separate room below the kitchen with its own service, built for long dinners that run past the last seating. Menus are set in advance with the head chef so the hearth can cook every course at once.
- SeatedTen to eighteen guests at one table.
- MenuFamily-style, three courses, agreed a week ahead.
- TimingAvailable from five, or from eight for later parties.
- NoticeTwo weeks for weekends, one week midweek.
Good to Know
Before you book
The questions guests ask most often, answered plainly.
Can the kitchen cook around allergies and dietary needs?
Yes, with notice. Add the detail to your request and the head chef will confirm what the hearth can do that week. Vegetarian guests are always catered for; strict vegan and coeliac menus need two days so we can bake and prep separately.
When do counter seats become available?
On the first Tuesday of each month, for the month following. Eight seats go out at once and they tend to be spoken for quickly, so send a request with two or three workable dates rather than a single one.
Do you keep anything back for walk-ins?
The six bar stools by the door are held for walk-ins every night and are never reservable. The full menu is served there. Early evening is your best chance, particularly Tuesday and Wednesday.
What happens if we need to cancel?
Let us know at least twenty-four hours ahead and there is nothing to settle. Counter seats and the Cellar Room carry a longer window — forty-eight hours and five days respectively — because both are prepped specifically for your party.
Is there a dress code?
None. The room runs warm near the hearth, so guests seated at the counter often leave a jacket with us on the way in.
Can we bring our own wine?
One bottle per table, provided it is not already on our list. Mention it in your request so the right glassware is set, and give the sommelier the bottle on arrival if it needs decanting.
Are children welcome?
In the dining room, yes — smaller portions of the hearth dishes are available on request. The counter is an adults-only seating because of the open fire directly behind the stools.
Reservations
Request a table
Send the details and we will confirm by email, usually the same evening. A request only becomes a booking once you have heard back from us.
- Dining room
- Tue – Sat, 5 – 10pm
- Sunday supper
- 4 – 8pm
- Counter
- One sitting, 6.30pm
- Closed
- Mondays