Just around the corner from the tiny and fantastic Honey & Co is their bigger, upmarket sister restaurant Honey & Smoke. Finish with a shot of Turkish coffee with cardamom for the ultimate hit. A dose of Middle Eastern heaven via food. Finally, itвЂ™s crowned with tahini and pomegranate molasses and sprinkled with rose petals, chilli and pine nuts.

ItвЂ™s roasted in a wood-fired oven and smothered with baharat spice butter, then finished on the grill until charred and smokey. The restaurant is famous for its cauliflower shawarma вЂ“ and rightly so. Order a selection of Mezzes try the sharp labneh (with confit garlic, burnt chilli and nigella seeds) an the baba ghanoush (showered in parsley and sparkling with jewel-like pomegranates). Ballooned vegetables are stacked up in crates, as if bought fresh from a Jerusalem market. The feel of the dimly lit restaurant, with tent-like hats that line the bar and perforated shades that cause the light to fall in dappled clusters, is inherently cool. It has developed a solid reputation off the back of its grill, its mantra indeed is that вЂeverything tastes better once itвЂ™s been smokedвЂ™. In downtown Haggerston, beneath a railway arch you will find one of East LondonвЂ™s вЂ“ no, all of LondonвЂ™s вЂ“ finest Middle Eastern restaurants. The proof of the PalomarвЂ™s success is, quite literally, in the pudding. To finish, the sumac and lemon tart is a revelation, summing up all that has come before it: a clever twist on the classic, itвЂ™s light, creamy and sharp, served with a beguiling orange blossom mousse. The aubergine is a favourite of the vegetable dishes, grilled with tahini on top to form a crust, and smothered in cucumber yogurt and topped with cherry tomatoes. Next, move on to some of the meat and fish cooked on the josper grill вЂ“ the glazed octopus served with kohlrabi and labneh is the perfect blend of sweet and sour, with the date molasses giving it an extra sugariness. Start with a bread and dip from the вЂrip and dipвЂ™ section like the exquisite Kubaneh, akin to a fluffy brioche, which comes with a whipped tahini dip and chopped tomato relish. The cuisine is a happy harmony of several different cultures вЂ“ from the Levant to North Africa and Southern Spain вЂ“ with the menu split into sharing dishes. ItвЂ™s far more fun sitting here anyway: watching the chefs at work as they rush things out of the josper grill and artfully plate up. Yet hereвЂ™s a tip for the savvy gastronome: drop in and leave your name at the front desk, nip to sister bar The Mulwray for a tipple or two, and let them call you when your spot at the bar is ready. ItвЂ™s been eight years since The Palomar was first hyped as the hottest new restaurant on the London scene, yet itвЂ™s still the case that securing a table here takes expert planning and patience, with bookings snapped up weeks in advance. Then thereвЂ™s the bewitchingly dark salted chocolate truffles, which make for the perfect finale to a triumphant meal. The luxuriously nutty tahini ice cream is subtle and sophisticated, while the delicately rose-scented coconut malabi is somehow both refreshing and indulgent.

DonвЂ™t leave without trying one of the delightful puddings, which strike just the right note between inventive and crowd pleasing.

Every dish is a winner, but standouts include the sharp, salty labne (best scooped up with laffa bread) tender fried aubergine, adorned liberally with zingy, vivid-green zhoug the revelatory oyster mushroom skewers (crisp, juicy and confoundingly meaty) the gloriously sticky halloumi with black seed honey. Prepare to be surprised and delighted by dish after spectacular dish, offering an elegant, modern take on Middle Eastern-inspired sharing plates: a joyful riot of flavours and textures, fragrant with spices and the freshness of herbs and citrus, and as beautiful as they are delicious. There are two vibrant set menus to choose from one vegetarian, one vegan, both guaranteed to win over even the most devout carnivores. The space is charming, the service is faultless (the team are as lovely as they are efficient), and the food вЂ“ masterminded by Head Chef Helen Graham вЂ“ is nothing short of extraordinary. If youвЂ™re looking for a meal for a special occasion, youвЂ™d be hard pushed to find a better place to celebrate than Bubala.

Middle eastern restaurant near me