Hummous
Mazar

Mazar

United Kingdom, SW11 3RA, London

Tea • Tapas • Drinks • Seafood


"We were so happy to find this restaurant near our favourite cycling routes along the Thames path. Here, situated on a little village square, where it is easy to feel as if you are on holiday, we found at long last a decent, reasonably priced restaurant that perfectly suits our requirements: family run restaurant, good food, good price, good service. We had a selection of mezze dishes. A mix of quality vegetarian (very well catered for and meat dishes. The portions were good, the flavours intense and balanced, the patties delicate, the kidneys tender. The chef (owner? came to have a chat, and to enquire if we wanted garlic with our lamb kidneys (Kalawi . We had a small glass of a decent Lebanese wine, remembering that Lebanon has one of the most ancient wine making traditions in the world, which persists to this day, and we took the rest of the bottle home. We finished with a superb lebanese coffee and baklava. I found the same pleasure in the decent, wholesome Lebanese food they served that I discovered as a boy when my best friend 's mother would (try to fatten me up with the most wonderful and exotic (to me Mediterranean dishes she used prepare with love and share with pride. We had: Hoummous (v , Tabboulleh (v , Fatayer (v , Rikakat (v , Kibbeh (lamb , Kalawi Ghanam (lamb , bottle of Clos de Cana Lebanese white wine, Lebanese coffee, Baklava. We received the warm and friendly welcome we tend to expect from a family run restaurant. The restaurant was quiet, much to our pleasant surprise, for a weekend lunch, but it was a wet and cold Sunday in February, and it was still very early. In fact we were the first customers, having arrived just before opening time. We expect that they do get very busy at times, as their terrace is massive, and they have extra banqueting tables tucked in the back room and a sound system. So on a decent sunny day, or a summer evening, I would def make a reservation. Or, like us, be the first to arrive and get treated like the guests of honour. Though we expect that is how they treat all their guests. We will definitely be back. We love cycling along the Thames path, yet have struggled until now to find somewhere to eat in this area, which is the usual turnaround point on our long cycle trip. 5 stars from us as it ticked all the boxes."

Alounak

Alounak

United Kingdom, London

Meat • Persian • Local Business • Middle Eastern


"Fact number one: there are at least three Persian restaurants within a five minute walk from my office. Fact (or promise number two: I will try them all before my company moves to Central London. Alounak is my second experiment, and the one I had the highest hopes for: they have another branch in West Kensington (that is, within walking distance of my house , and heaven knows how much I need a Persian restaurant I can trust, afford, and reach without topping up my Oyster. Going by this experience, I shall try my local branch soon: Alounak 's Westbourne Grove restaurant may not offer the same variety or old school charm as nearby Al Waha, but its food is right on the mark in both quality and quantity, and made me glad to have finally got round to visiting. The lunch menu includes a set of hot and cold starters, and a selection of mains, among which you 'll spot most of the classic meat dishes you 'll no doubt know if you 're any familiar with Middle Eastern restaurants. They also offer one special course for each day of the week; I quite liked the looks of the Tuesday one (Zereshk Polo steamed saffron rice with berries and chicken , which made the realisation that it was only Monday all the more bitter. Not that I 'm complaining about my main: my saffron chicken breast skewer was well cooked and fulfilling, masterfully charred at the edges, and paired with the kind of fluffy, buttery rice that makes you wonder why on earth anyone should pick salad as their side (I might judge you if you do. I 'll try not to. At least get the bread, for Pete 's sake! . I 've recently learnt to master a similar recipe at home, thanks to Sabrina Ghayour 's Persiana , and have, as a result, grown more and more demanding towards its restaurant version. I couldn 't fault this one, just as I couldn 't fault the Kashke Bademjan (smoked aubergine, garlic, walnut and fried onion dip I had as a starter, paired with soft, freshly cooked taftoon bread; both a delight, and large enough to feed two people. Prices are very reasonable for the amount of food you get: £13.50 each (service included bought me and a colleague a generous starter to share, and even more aboundant mains. Not bad at all, considering that in most Middle Eastern restaurants £13.50 would be the price of the main alone. Visiting on a Monday also turned out to be a good idea. I 've walked past Alounak enough times to know it 's often crowded, but yesterday, there was no one but us inside at 1.30pm, and we could benefit from a speedy service that allowed us to enjoy a leisurely, relaxed meal well within our lunch break. Could this be my new recipe for beating the Monday blues? I 'm feeling positive, and might soon make it a Friday treat too. Or Tuesday, as I 'll have to come back for that Zereshk Polo. That 's also a promise."