1 Green’s Court, W1F 0HA London
Telephone: 020 7287 7663
www.yalla-yalla.co.uk/menu.html
Hidden behind the hustle and bustle of Wardour Street, away from the curious looks of the tourists and the lovers of “trendy” venues like Floridita or Imli, you can find Yalla Yalla: your next stop for authentic Beirut street food, in the heart of London.
There has been a lot of buzz around this place in the past few months, and everyone who loves food has been talking about it, braving lunchtime queues to obtain one of the few tables they have. Not wanting to be the one who missed out on the treat, I used a parental visit as the perfect excuse to book a table, to be enjoyed on a sunny Saturday afternoon.
We sat at awkwardly cushioned benches and tiny stools, but didn’t care; we had laid our eyes on the fresh-looking spread of wraps, backlawa, maamoul and the fountains of fresh juices and lemonades.
The menu is not that long, but I’m a terrible decision-maker; more so when it comes to food, as I feel that choosing the right thing at a restaurant is paramount. Otherwise, one risks to develop overwhelming food envy, so a spread of mezze to share seemed the way forward.
Our first taster was a freshly made bowl of hommos accompanied by delicious and complimentary warm pitta that kept being refilled as we could just not get enough of the sauces, dips and juices all the dishes came soaked in. Plates of Soujoc (spicy Lebanese sausage), Kibbe Lahme (a deep-fried wheat parcel filled with lamb, caramelized onions and pine nuts) with a tahini dip and Sawda djej (chicken livers sautéed in pomegranate molasses) provided us with much needed protein and to this day I still savour in my memory the tangy juice of those little sausage morcels and the sweet and sticky deliciousness of the pomegranate molasses.
We had been also looking forward to having the ever-loyal falafel, but we were told the mixture had not marinated long enough and we would have had to wait at least another hour to enjoy some.
Whereas this was somehow disappointing it confirmed the general feel that all the food we were eating had been freshly prepared and that is something that not even some of the most expensive restaurants here in London can claim to do (are you listening, Gordon Ramsay?)
It truly was a fantastic lunch and I’ll definitely go back even if the service has some teething problems; our Baba Ghannouj (charcoal grilled aubergine dip) and Shish Taouk (charcoal grilled chicken with vermicelli rice) took over an hour to arrive due to problems with the grill itself that the staff failed to mention, but I’m sure attention to such details will be improved as they get used to the crowds. Besides, one tends to forget once a final bowl of fattoush and glass of pomegranate lemonade is brought to your table as the perfect meal closer.
My verdict? Go! It’s delicious, it’s relatively cheap and even as a take-away a far better option than a cold sandwich from the Prêt a Manger round the corner.
And one extra tip? Make sure you buy some sweet treats to take away and snack on later in the day: you will miss Yalla Yalla as soon as you leave and those will definitely ease the longing.
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