Lamb meatballs gain an alluring sweetness from an apricot-studded sauce, creamy labneh (strained yoghurt cheese) well matched with the robust flavour of roasted red peppers and the crunch of pistachios, and falafel so heavy on herbs they appear slightly green, are pleasantly crisp on the outside and moist within. A fairly classical selection of both mezze and main dishes are escalated by searingly fresh flavours, led by some very good quality vegetables, olives and oils, as well as a confident and capable kitchen. This small Warren Street eatery looks like an unremarkable café, but the food tells a different story. Be aware that portions are small (even for small plates), so prices can add up pretty quickly if you’re hungry - it’s worth splashing out a little, though.Īrabica Bar & Kitchen, 3 Rochester Walk, SE1 9AF Honey & Co A few of our favourite eats are the fragrant pigeon pastilla encased in flaky filo, sensationally oozy grilled halloumi, tender lamb ribs cooked in cherry molasses glaze, and a duck and date shish cut through with sharp apple.Ĭlassics such as hummus, stuffed vine leaves and falafel are also executed with flair. The team have made a buzzy home of a railway arch around the corner, serving vibrant, spice-filled dishes and similarly punchy Eastern-inspired cocktails.
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Then there's spicy paprika-rich sujuk sausages, and foul medames (broad beans) that are brought to life with garlic, lemon and peppery olive oil.Īl Waha, 75 Westbourne Grove, W2 4UL Arabica Bar & Kitchen Arabica Bar & KitchenĪfter trading at Borough Market for more than ten years, mezze-led food stall Arabica Food & Spice decided to upgrade to a fully-fledged restaurant in 2014.
Highlights from a long menu of well-priced, traditional mezze include hummus and moutabel (aubergine dip) which are exemplary in showing just how well these classics can be executed. The name means ‘oasis’ in Arabic and the calm, plant-filled space is fitting, but the real beauty here is in the high octane flavours. In both locations it served some of the finest Lebanese cuisine in London, and continues to do so. Al Wahaīefore settling into its home on Westbourne Grove, Al Waha was based near Piccadilly for years. I would happily say this is my favourite take on Afghan challaw.Īnd one more thing, Ismaila - the hot sauce.As ever, please do let us know your experiences of these restaurants and other recommendations in the comments below. Long grain rice that is cooked with black pepper, cardamom and just a little cumin. I can't talk about an Afghan restaurant without mentioning the challaw. You mentioned the bread earlier, is the rice just as good?
Ismaila: It must smell amazing in this place with the charcoal going. They're really tender when they arrive on your plate. But I find that with the way Tamem cooks it over low heat, it's quite juicy and flavourful. Typically, this style of cubed, grilled chicken can be really dry and the spicing can get lost. And it's probably my favourite chicken dish because of how tender the meat is when it comes off the charcoal. So you get this really tender chunks of meat, wrapped in that naan-e-Afghani.Īlso there are a number of chicken kebabs on the menu, tandoori-style marinated in yogurt. Meats are marinated overnight with yogurt and spices, and then cooked over a charcoal grill. And they've created a menu that pays homage to their home city of Kabul. They took over the space a few years ago. Shazia Akbar and her husband Tamem run the restaurant. It is tucked away from the main strip of Hurontario, just south of the 401, hidden behind two hotels. This is a restaurant that opened not too long ago. Ismaila: Which brings us to Afghan Grill House. Lately, I have noticed that because of the newcomers arriving from Jordan, Syria and Afghanistan over the past few years, we've seen many new restaurants that are representing that part of the world.
The cuisine is very diverse, it's a large sprawling city with many corners. Missisauga is a great food city and we've talked about it a number of times on the show. Ismaila: So we're heading to Mississauga this week? This week, he talked to host Ismaila Alfa about an Afghan restaurant in Mississauga.
Metro Morning 's food guide, Suresh Doss, joins us every week to discuss one of the many great GTA eateries he's discovered.