I had totally forgotten that I had my camera in my bag and that I'd had the intention of blogging about this meal. Hence the single, token picture from right at the end of the night.
The thing was, one friend was just back from a long weekend in Barbados, two have been internet dating (not each other - strings of new men) and a new acquaintance, with whom I was instantly smitten, joined us. It meant that the conversation and wine were both free-flowing, and the food was so good that it didn't occur to me to get my face out of the plate for long enough to think about things like lighting and actually remembering the names of the dishes.
We stuck to mezze - not because the main dishes didn't sound good, but because we (that is, I - I did my usual irritating trick of hogging the menu and deciding what everyone else was going to eat) greedily ordered so many little dishes that no one had room for a main course. For four Australian girls, all used to having ready access to loads of good Lebanese restaurants, it's been a bit of an adjustment living somewhere that the cuisine is less-accessible, so we just wanted to eat all of it. Except the chicken livers. I was told that they would judge and mock me if I ordered the sawda djej, so I didn't.
So we talked about Barbados (which sounded amazing), internet dating (very entertaining), a bit of Victorian literature (proving that I have very little idea of when Victoria actually ruled), old school American tattooing (new acquaintance lives in Michigan and has the most awesome tattoos), passive aggressive notes (mostly me, I have produced some excellent ones at work lately), whether one assumes that very tall people are older because of looking up to them physically, modern theatre and inappropriate crushes. It may have been the wine, but I thought we were all being witty and erudite (um, except for that whole Victorian thing) and had a jolly good time.
Look, the service is slow and perfunctory, the tables are small, the seats are uncomfortable and the food isn't quite as good or as cheap as Al Waha (where I have ordered the sawda djej with different friends and not been judged), but it's very conveniently positioned in Soho and the food is pretty bloody good. It's tiny and they don't take bookings, so it is perfect if you want a 6pm dinner and be home by 9.
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| Prawns, squid, aubergine and whitebait - I think all fritti misti should have pomegranate seeds |
1 GREEN’S COURT
LONDON W1F 0HA
T: 020 7287 7663
4 comments:
Yum. I had a lunch like that today - except it was bring a plate & I skipped the wine.
21 years ago I had people passing out at the thought of Little Ms FC doing the HSC, now they can't believe another ~20 years have gone by.
Totally agreed that all fritti misti should have pomegranate. What a lovely addition!
Mother - believe me, little (rather larger) Miss FC is equally appalled at the thought it's been 20 years + since I finished school!
Yasmeen - it was lovely. And the spring onions and pomegranate seeds were layered between the fried bits, so you kept getting these beautiful little sweet/sour bursts of freshness.
Ah... I'd still not bothered to visit Yalla Yalla because there are lots of other Lebanese places around me. But y'know...if I crave it in Soho... thanks for the review!
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