Middle Eastern in London

We had an awesome time at Yudale Bar in Jerusalem a few years ago for what’s possibly our best Middle Eastern meal ever, so I thought we should visit The Palomar in London under the same group serving a similar style of dishes while we were in town.

The little restaurant sat not far from Chinatown and within the stone's throw distance from the West End theaters. The place was absolutely packed when we arrived – thank God we made a reservation ahead of time as they have been turning people away as we walked in. But I did make a mistake of not requesting the seats at the open kitchen counter in advance, so they gave us the table at the back dining room instead. It’s still nice and cozy (and kinda dark) but definitely not as lively as it would sitting at the bar looking at chefs cooking.

Food of small plates dominated the a la carte menu with a few in more substantial portion, all meant to be shared. All the ingredients and name of the dishes sound foreign to us but we managed to pick out a few dishes we wanted. First to arrive was Kubanch, which we were told was the dish that everyone order. It’s a brioche baked in a small metal tin and served with smashed tomato and tahini on the side. I finished my share in no time with a generous dip of tahini and olive oil.

I am not a fan of eggplant but I love the baba ganoush, served in a cute mini pan. The mashed eggplant was served with tahini, olive oil and spices, done with such punchy, smokey flavor like it’s finished on charcoal fire and with pomegranate seeds spread on top. The Fattoush salad reminded me of the Italian Panzanella made using stale bread with chunks of tomatoes and cucumber. It’s light and refreshing but still full of flavor. The falafels were enjoyable with good mixture of herbs and chilies for a slight spicy kick. There were soft on the inside with a crispy crust.

We had two dishes from the main course section. The grilled octopus was done super tender, not too heavy on the spices but was delicious. On the side was grilled onion and Kohlrabi which I originally thought was parsnip. It gave a hint of sweetness and crispy texture to the dish. The Jerusalem Chicken was wonderful – so named because it’s served with Jerusalem artichokes in the cream sauce and as deep-fried crisps on top. The chicken was marinated with heavy spices and finished on the open-fire grill – the spices made it almost tasted like a lamb dish.

Wish they had a bigger Middle Eastern wine selection (with less steep prices), but we went for a carafe of Beaujolais at the end which was all cool – easy-going and cheerful, medium-bodied with black fruit characters. Was a bit jet-lagged so we skipped dessert – of course I now regret not having the halva which I missed so dearly since we were in the Middle East.

Didn’t beat our dinner at Yudale Bar in Jerusalem with the food and vibe (and wines), but very decent Middle Eastern fare nonetheless, something we didn’t have enough in our side of the world. So we were glad we managed to hit this spot here during our brief stay in London.

(That's the first piece of our Winter UK Trip story. Stay tuned for more! Want to see some pictures? Please check out my Flickr album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/g4gary/albums/72157712258620286)

When? November 27 2019
Where? The Palomar, 34 Rupert Street, London, W1D 6DN
Menu Highlights? Glazed Octopus with Kohlrabi, Date Molasses and Harissa Oil
Drink? 2017 Jean Paul Thevenet Morgon Traditional “Le Clachet” Beaujolais
Web: thepalomar.co.uk