"Al Khayma is the best hidden secret in Illford! I had been wanting to eat Lebanese food for a while and knew there were a few decent restaurants in the city but my partner convinced me that his colleagues swore by this ‘fantastic’ restaurant in Illford but I was not convinced! However since he insisted and I wanted to eat, I begrudgingly took his suggestion and he booked us in for dinner. The place was easy to find. Just 7 minutes walking from Illford train station on the newly Elizabeth Line or 2-3 bus stop if one does not fancy the walk. There we were greeted by Saad who was super friendly and accommodating. He was extremely helpful and helped us with some choices on the menu while offering excellent suggestions! The restaurant had an ambient atmosphere and the gentle traditional music playing in the background gave it a relaxing vide that travelled the mind to exotic destinations. It also had a well decorated flower wall that would look great for those #hashtags on Instagram (if anyone is up to that kind of stuff! So when the food arrived, the restaurant offered little appetising sides with Lebanese bread that was warm and homely. I ordered the Shish Tawook (charcoal grilled skewers of chicken which was juicy and cooked to perfection with a side of chips but it also came with a complimentary salad. My partner ordered a grilled boneless baby chicken that he said it was crispy on the outside with a soft interior that was super tender and flavoursome. But wait. There is more..! Since it was B.H Monday and were were out-out, we decided to do a little extra and ordered a Halloumi side and another one called Batara Harra. In one word I would describe it as mind blowing! The portion of the Halloumi was surprisingly generous and the Batara Harra was a dish of potato cubes marinated in all sorts of flavours and served on a bed of sweet peppers and chilly. It came with a quartered lemon (which I thought was odd but after a few bites I decided to drizzle some on top of the potatoes (assuming that it might serve a specific purpose and boy was I right about that! I genuinely don’t understand how a few drops of lemon can transform a dish so much but honestly if you order this food, just use the lemon! You won’t regret it. After completion of dinner we were offered free of charge a traditional Lebanese tea which unfortunately did not have the time to be taste but that was not a problem as we were already decided that we would be visiting this place again. Overall lovely staff, great food with generous portions and a relatively reasonable bill that would work out about £20-25 per person including drinks. Extra bonus is the Valentine’s Park across the street. A huge park with a central lake for an evening stroll, that also includes a large playground area if you are visiting the area with children. So yes, that was our culinary experience at the Al Khayma. Friendly service, great food, clean establishment and reasonable prices. Really nothing more to ask. Highly recommended!"
