Bala Baya review – the outside terrace with a crowd-pleasing menu
★★★☆☆ / Lebanese/Jordanian/Levantine

Bala Baya review – the outside terrace with a crowd-pleasing menu

A Middle Eastern sharing menu with some charm, here and there. A curious thing happened in medieval Europe following the apocalyptic devastation of the Black Death. With workers fewer in number, those that remained were able to command better wages and working conditions from their titular overlords – an imbalance in the supply-and-demand of the … Continue reading

Bubala review – the Middle Eastern vegetarian and vegan restaurant taking Spitalfields by storm
★★★★☆ / Lebanese/Jordanian/Levantine / Vegetarian

Bubala review – the Middle Eastern vegetarian and vegan restaurant taking Spitalfields by storm

If vegetables are so delicious, then why do so many vegetarian and vegan restaurants insist on making them resemble meat instead? It’s never been easy eating out as a vegetarian in London. Prior to the noughties, your choices were largely divided between Indian restaurants of variable quality and hemp-ridden Mildred’s-type establishments which were almost universally … Continue reading

Berber and Q Shawarma Bar review – Exmouth Market gets sit-down kebabs
★★★☆☆ / Eclectic / Lebanese/Jordanian/Levantine

Berber and Q Shawarma Bar review – Exmouth Market gets sit-down kebabs

Middle Eastern BBQ sequel goes back to basics When most restaurants decide to expand by opening new branches, they usually sprout carbon copy clones of the original, try to make each new location different from all the others or try to strike some of middle-ground balance. Berber and Q, the flawed yet generally still superb Middle … Continue reading

Berber and Q review – Middle Eastern barbecue in Haggerston
★★★★☆ / Barbecue/BBQ / Eclectic / Jewish / Lebanese/Jordanian/Levantine

Berber and Q review – Middle Eastern barbecue in Haggerston

The incredibly satisfying BBQ you never knew you needed If you’re a superficial knee-jerk reactionary, then you’ll hate Berber and Q before you even step through the front door. It’s located in Haggerston, near the epicentre of horn-rimmed plaid-shirtedness that is Shoreditch. Heck, its next door neighbour is a board games cafe. Everything is ‘reclaimed’ from the premises, a … Continue reading

★★★☆☆ / Lebanese/Jordanian/Levantine

Fakhreldine review – Lebanon on Green Park

Long lived Lebanese lives up to legend? Update: this restaurant has now closed. Posh-as-corsets Mayfair may seem like an odd place for a Lebanese restaurant, but Fakhreldine isn’t some dodgy cafe with more hookah pipes than customers. It’s a years-old establishment with an attractive, elegant decor even if it does verge on resembling an inoffensively … Continue reading