This Lebanese cafe has been on my 'to go' list for a while since I love Middle Eastern cuisine, mezze style dining, and eating out at a guilt free price! I first went upon the suggestion of a friend but work overran and I only arrived in time to have a little snackette. This time I more than made up for my deprived first encounter...
A quick note to begin however, there are two Yalla Yalla restaurants (and one Shoreditch pop-up). I realised this rather late in the day... when absolutely starving in Oxford Street I remembered it being very close by, suggested it and then walked for around ten minutes before realising that we must be going somewhere else. When I saw that Google maps was taking us to their other joint I thought we could give it a go but the Green's Court one is tiny and the waitress a little abrasive (she was visibly angry that we had been queueing without having let her know we were waiting for a table!). We swiftly returned to the Winsley Street one which is much bigger and therefore has a faster moving queue - no bookings I am afraid. This review was impromptu so sorry about the lack of HD photos.
The cocktails are apparently good but I decided to forgo in order to order as much as I could possibly eat! To begin with we had the hommos shawarma (their spelling) which comes with a surprisingly generous portion of marinated lamb on top of it, the baba ganoush (delicious and creamy but a little less smoky than I like).
Next came the Arayes - spicy minced lamb in crispy grilled pitta bread with pomegranate scattered on top were possibly my favourite - they look somewhat disappointing in stature since the mince is packed into a thin layer between the flat breads but they really pack a punch in terms of flavour. I also had the sawda dej (liver which are glazed in a sweet and sharp pomegranate sauce) which were delicious if you too are into offal. It is also wonderful to have them done in a such a different way rather than the usual Frenchified buttery type dishes.
Last I had some kofte of the main dishes that I wouldn't really recommend since it's not the best kofte I've had in London (see my Best Mangal review) and the sharing plates are much more fun. A fabulous place for a quick and causal date or to meet with a few friends, I will certainly be returning soon.
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A quick note to begin however, there are two Yalla Yalla restaurants (and one Shoreditch pop-up). I realised this rather late in the day... when absolutely starving in Oxford Street I remembered it being very close by, suggested it and then walked for around ten minutes before realising that we must be going somewhere else. When I saw that Google maps was taking us to their other joint I thought we could give it a go but the Green's Court one is tiny and the waitress a little abrasive (she was visibly angry that we had been queueing without having let her know we were waiting for a table!). We swiftly returned to the Winsley Street one which is much bigger and therefore has a faster moving queue - no bookings I am afraid. This review was impromptu so sorry about the lack of HD photos.
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| smaller Green's Court Restaurant |
Next came the Arayes - spicy minced lamb in crispy grilled pitta bread with pomegranate scattered on top were possibly my favourite - they look somewhat disappointing in stature since the mince is packed into a thin layer between the flat breads but they really pack a punch in terms of flavour. I also had the sawda dej (liver which are glazed in a sweet and sharp pomegranate sauce) which were delicious if you too are into offal. It is also wonderful to have them done in a such a different way rather than the usual Frenchified buttery type dishes.
Last I had some kofte of the main dishes that I wouldn't really recommend since it's not the best kofte I've had in London (see my Best Mangal review) and the sharing plates are much more fun. A fabulous place for a quick and causal date or to meet with a few friends, I will certainly be returning soon.
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