You think you know someone and then you think again. I know Limor Chen as co-founder (with husband Amir) of Delamina restaurants (Shoreditch, Marylebone and now Covent Garden) and writer of cookbook My Tel Aviv Table but before all that she was – and indeed still is – an artist and sculptor. All three of her restaurants feature her art.
A quick look at Limor’s website (limorchenart.com) reveals an impressive artistic pedigree, including studies at Chelsea College of Art & Design, Central St Martins and an MA at Middlesex University.
If you’ve ever been to Delamina Marylebone – which dishes up amazing Middle Eastern food bursting with flavour – you may have noticed the striking installation of ropes and flowers above the stairs leading to the basement. The restaurant opened during the Harvey Weinstein scandal and the start of the #MeToo movement. “It was a very powerful, emotional time for every woman,” says Limor. “We all had experiences, and we could all relate to what was going on. And I thought – I have to be true to myself and my art. And if I’m making something, I have to feel something.”
The resulting piece, Daughters of Zelophedad, reflects a biblical story about five courageous sisters who challenged the law barring women from inheriting land. “They brought their case in front of the congregation and in front of God, and they won,” explains Limor. “It was the first time that women stood for their rights. The flowers peeking through the ropes symbolise strength and the hope and how we move on.”
Daughters of Zelophedad, Delamina Marylebone
In Limor’s and Amir’s first restaurant, Delamina East, she installed a multi-sensory piece, Bound by Spice, which features ropes and knots to reflect how we are all connected by the spice route. Beakers full of spices are inserted into the knots. “Now the talk is all about food appropriation but that’s ridiculous because in truth we’re so influenced by everything, she says. Another installation, Cinnamon Root, with sacks of cinnamon, is another nod to the spice route connection.
Limor and Amir, both Israeli, live in north London. They have been looking to open a third restaurant for several years but never found the right site. “We always said our next site is going to be a massive space on one floor which makes a big impact. But then we were we were shown an amazing listed Georgian townhouse in Covent Garden and as soon as we went in, we said this place is magical. The amount of light that comes in and all the panelling – we just loved it.
Found floor dining area at Delamina Townhouse
“We always like to make the restaurants feel like an extension of our home, and here we knew we could do that even more.”
To that end, Limor brought in some of her sculptures from home and some personal photos of their family including her grandmother and Amir’s grandfather. She also created a spectacular three metre by two metre canvas, Seeking Hope, which hangs in one of the rooms on the second floor. “October 7 created a lot of turmoil. But my piece offers a glimpse of hope among the chaos. The pieces coming out of the canvas are the glimmers of hope, the change in the road. This is a slightly different interpretation of what has happened since October 7 – the turmoil I’ve been through, and all the things that the whole world had to deal with, and the people in Israel have had to deal with, all the layers of that, which are reflected in the lots of layers of paint. “
Limor with her parents
The townhouse is a listed building, so there were limits to what the Chens could do but they have created a series of intimate rooms. Downstairs has a small bar and a large dining space with a small semi-private room at the back, but it’s upstairs where the magic really happens, in the with high ceilings, wall panelling, lots of natural light and nooks, crannies, alcoves and even a fireplace.
“We effectively have four rooms (the dining room, the arts room, the drawing room and the snug) and we had to follow the vibe of the place and then make it our own,” explains Limor. Her artistic creativity is everywhere, in the lovely fabrics, the unusual lights, the muted paint colours and of course the artworks.
The townhouse’s elegance inspired them to elevate the dining experience. “There were things we wished we could have done in our other site that we can do here – we have sofas, armchairs, soft furnishings. It’s just that bit more luxurious.”
Limor and Amir
Limor professes to not be a chef, but last summer she released a recipe based on her family recipes. Her cooking is deeply influenced by her heritage: her Iranian father’s spice-laden dishes and her kibbutz-raised mother’s quick, comforting Ashkenazi meals.
Each of the three restaurants has a slightly different menu “because we’re not a chain” but the hero dishes – the cauliflower, the shawarma and the cheesecake – always factor. “The key thing is that we use the same flavours, the same style of cooking,” she says.
Cinnamon Root installation
“We wanted to create our restaurants in the way that we like to experience restaurants,” says Limor. “We don’t want leave hungry – we’re Jewish! When we go to restaurants, we want to eat. We don’t want to think about how much we’re ordering. You might end up spending £60/£70 a head at Delamina, but we don’t have a single dish that’s over £30 pounds.
The Arts Room, Delamina Townhouse
“We have to be smart in the way that we create the dishes – we don’t use cheap ingredients, but we make sure that we have control over them (which many restaurants do not). We are careful about wastage and so we order small amounts. If an item becomes too expensive we look for an alternative. But it’s very important to have the right seasonings to create beautifully aromatic dishes, and you can do it without it being so overly priced that that a lot of people won’t be able to come. Because that would be a shame.”
Indeed it would. Because this is food from the heart, with art to match.
