25 Sep 2024
James Cameron checks out the new restaurant in Verulam Road, part of Christopher Place Shopping Centre…
It is always exciting when we get a new arrival on the St Albans restaurant scene. Who knows what novel cuisine or flavour they’ll bring? Will they be the missing piece of blue sky in the jigsaw of dining out in St Albans, or merely a cornflake that’s accidentally fallen into the box? I was delighted, therefore, to be invited to Vourla to see what they bring to the table.
Proprietor Erhan previously ran delightful deli Crunch on Waxhouse Gate, but was after a larger property so when space on the Colonade opened up it was the perfect opportunity for him to up his game. Verulam Road is becoming quite the row of dining options, with the Pudding Stop, The Ivy, The Hub on Verulam and fellow newcomer Hazel’s, so Vourla is in good company.
I asked Erhan why we wanted to open a restaurant in St Albans and he spoke about the independent spirit of the place, which chimed perfectly with the ethos of his own restaurant. He is reaching out to diners who may be slightly tired of chain restaurants which serve up the same meals, and who are eager for something different.
Integral to Vourla is a dynamism of not wanting to settle on anything and constantly updating and experimenting with the menu in search of perfection.
The cuisine is Mediterranean, with a focus on the Aegean, so there are lots of Turkish and Greek flavours present. We went for a duo of dips for our starters, served with a basket of both flatbread and sourdough, warm and delightful. It was easy to see here the importance that is placed on freshness, with all sauces made separately from scratch, with care and attention.
The babaganush was the best I think I’ve ever had, it was delightfully creamy with just a hint of the lingering flavour of aubergine, trapped in the mortal plane until it can fulfil its final wish of being reunited with its lost love, the flatbread.
The hummus was similarly delicate, though run through with the spice of harrisa. Where it really came into its own was when it was combined with the tanginess of the black olive tapenade. This had been presented along with the bread as part of a complementary triumvirate, sandwiched between standard and beetroot butter, shaped like giant iced gem hats.
The bread to dip ratio was slightly off here, and you really had to load up the bread to avoid having to finish things off with a spoon. This is more to do with the generosity of the dips rather than any paucity of bread though.
It’s fair to say that Oliver Puttnam from ‘Only Murders in the Building’ would love this place.
The design of Vourla is incredibly classy, with wooden tones and appealing curves. This, combined with the quiet and low temp jazz, lets you know as soon as you enter that this is a sophisticated place. More sophisticated than I was expecting, and although I did feel a little under-dressed I was put at ease by the well-presented, attentive and professional staff. It was still early days (I think this was their third day of existence), and they were still getting to know the menu, but the whole operation was incredibly slick and there were none of the hiccups that you would expect from a new venture still in its metaphorical training pants.
The menu was extensive and I would quite happily have gone for anything on it. The staff took allergens very seriously and were able to explain anything that we weren’t clear on (I now know what toasted pins are). They have a children’s menu, as well as a surprisingly modestly priced lunch menu that we mainly chose from.
The front of the menu/restaurant is dominated by large windows, allowing you to enjoy the sight of people strolling up and down Verulam Road. On our day of dining this was mainly proud new graduates off to spend the afternoon clapping for people they don’t know whilst wearing uncomfortable new clothes.
When the sun is out it fills the earthy tones of the restaurant with a warm glow, but when it’s overcast, (which, let’s be honest, is most of the time), it can get a little gloomy.
For the main I went for a chicken souvlaki. They have taken this take-away staple and elevated it to a thing of beauty. The chicken skewer, served on a thin Brazilian strip of flatbread, had a rich chargrilled taste. Rather than chips it was served with potato wedges, deliciously crispy and perfect when dunked in the chilli and yoghurt sauces that accompany them.
My companion strayed onto the main menu to find a suitable vegan option, the three bean salad Nicoise. This really epitomises their focus on fresh produce, served simply but with skill and technique. It was served with some more of the excellent bread, as well as a lovely balsamic dressing.
It was strange that this was not also present on the lunch menu as it was perfect for the middle of the day, though very substantial so possibly to be tackled when you don’t have too much on in the afternoon.
It would be nice if there were more in the way of main dishes that were suitable for vegans, but we are informed that their menu boffins are working on this as we speak. The benefit of the responsive and ever-changing approach to menus is that they can grow to meet the demands and feedback from their diners.
This is certainly not a restaurant to rush, it is a place to take your time and enjoy all aspects of their excellent food and service. It would be a great place to bring a date you were trying to impress, where their skills would be enough to overcome your own social inadequacies. I am definitely looking forward to a return visit, and would enjoy the chance to visit in the evening and really do justice to all aspects of the menu.
I hope you find an opportunity to welcome the newest arrival to our city. If you do, you will receive in return a warm and charming welcome yourself, and you will dine on marvellous food in a superior environment. Such settlers can only enrich us all.
