Le Menar (Fitzrovia)

• Interesting Lebanese and Moroccan fusion with some European influences
• Tucked away in the heart of Fitzrovia is one of my new favourite restaurants Le Menar
• To start with we were kindly shown to a totally private mezzanine level to enjoy our meal
• Not only is this space desperately romantic with its mood lighting
• Sofas and abundance of cushions but it is ideal for a private dinner party
• Another note on this seating area is that it is desperately easy to fall asleep
• Whist waiting for the food we were given some nibbles to enjoy including olives and mixed nuts
• As with the later dishes at Le Menar the presentation is much more modern compared to traditional Middle Eastern cuisine
• Served in glass trays with a basket of bread
• Sounds like a lot but served in small mezze portions this starter is a great way to try out lots of Le Menar's best dishes
• Perhaps unsurprisingly my favourite mezze was the moutabal
• As I said it's similar to baba ganouj with its smoky aubergine flavour
• I could literally sit at eat bowls of moutabal with bread all day
• Me this is surprising because these are pretty much on my 'I don't eat this' list
• Plus a freshness that I have previously missed out on with other falafel
• Rich in tomato and aubergine flavour with a strong cheese note
• This mini version of the classic was truly delicious
• The mixed with the freshness of the tabbouleh and baby okra salad was really wonderful
• These dishes were simply delicious
• The meat on both was beautifully tender and literally fell away
• In the mouth the meat had a butter like texture which when paired with a rich sauce was truly indulgent
• The accompanying sauce was rich in spices and wine
• The realisation is that actually the old fashioned long standing restaurants are closing down and the modern
• New cuisines are taking their places
• At the same time there are still so many GOOD restaurants which are being forgotten about because us Londoners just can&rsquo
• The food however is a completely different story &ndash
• As far as meze dishes go these were pretty special with the tabbouleh being the favourite and the moussaka the least (it needed more depth of flavour)
• Tagines here at Le Menar were easily some of the finest I&rsquo
• Beef ras el hanout was served in a traditional Moroccan tagine pot and filled with beautifully tender beef cheeks
• Ve eaten my fair share of tagines but the depth of flavour this one managed to keep on giving was extraordinary
• Other tagines on offer were the slow cooked lamb neck tagine with cinnamon
• All accompanied by a pot of a sauce infused with truffle oil
• Desserts here at Le Menar is where you&rsquo
• Ll want to choose with caution (because you won&rsquo
• The restaurants take on strawberries and cream were the highlight
• Juicy red strawberries bursting with both freshness and flavour
• The thick mascarpone cream was infused with fragrant rosewater
• Deep fried Madagascan vanilla ice cream came paired with Medjool dates
• Something just felt like it was missing from this dish
• The head chef here is quite clearly very talented and has given Le Menar a fantastic edge compared to its local competition
• Creating thoroughly modern food which is still intact with their roots and tradition
• If North African delights and Middle Eastern cuisine that will leave you salivating is what you&rsquo
• S just what I was during a recent dinner at newly relaunched Le Menar restaurant in Fitzrovia
• To North African and Middle Eastern cuisine was going to be so inspired
• 16) proved a mighty main course to savour and a dish that days after tasting it is still something to be raved about with ease
• Fried vanilla ice cream with salted caramel dates was an absolute treat (£
• If a little preoccupied with other things
• Each one disappearing as quickly as it was brought out
• I was struggling to keep up both with tasting and keeping track of what was being served
• I was both excited and relieved to learn that this was just a preview and we were invited to return to review a full meal and experience some more of Chef Vernon Samuels&rsquo
• Seating is low cushioned benches and stools with copper topped dining tables and pretty Arabic artifacts adding to the atmosphere
• Made properly as here it is a delightful
• Smokey aubergine and tahini dip that is a little lighter and creamier than hummus
• They are delicious with tender vine leaves wrapped around a moist lightly spiced filling of rice
• Maybe that was just my optimistic hope that the parsley
• The lamb tajine is deconstructed (we&rsquo
• D ordered that already) and the monkfish comes served with samphire and tomatoes to complement the batata harra (spic
• 2015 If you are looking for a tranquil getaway from the busy streets of Fitzrovia
• You are spoilt for choice with over 20 starters
• Included a sample of 8 starter dishes served with warm Lebanese flat bread
• The mix of flavours on this plate was incredible
• The Falafal was a particular highlight and as always
• Braised Beef Cheek with Cumin Carrots
• Lebanese 7 Spice Sweet Potatoes The dish was highly spiced
• The chicken was cooked to perfection
• Deep Fried Madagascan Vanilla Ice Cream with Butterscotch Medjool Dates
• Whenever I return home for a visit and my family ask what I've been up to and I regale them with the things I've been up to in the evenings or at the weekend
• Even when I was living and working in other cities
• Part of the appeal is that so much of the world is present in London and it's pervasive through the culture and also food on offer here
• Le Menar is a smallish space (45 covers) lined with cushion strewn banquettes
• The restaurant is almost split into three sections
• It really is typical that whenever I want or need to get away relatively on time that it is that night that everything goes a bit crazy
• Such as lamb prosciutto and throughout the evening we were served just a few
• North African food really does offer something for everyone with plenty of variety which would satisfy meat lovers
• We sampled plump scallops with pomegranate green tomato relish and sumac panko crust
• Juicy lamb chops with moutabel and baby aubergine
• All of the dishes that we sampled were delicious but the standout dish of the night was the creme brû
• The super rich edge was taken off the creme brû
• E by the pistachio and it transformed a familiar dish into something perfectly in keeping with the Moroccan setting
• Judging by the murmurs of contentment from those around me who were also happily cracking the sugar shell
• Modern North African food with a twist located not in the shadow of a minaret
• The places you have to hunt down that make the faffing about with Citymapper worth it
• After struggling with the iron door (stupid frickin wimp arms)
• Deep golden tables with dainty candles spotted around
• 2015 | Leave a comment Spiced Rack of Lamb with Aubergine Moutabal and Chermoula
• Great things are happening in the kitchen of Le Menar
• I met with head chef Vernon Samuels who is quite the character and whose passion
• The restaurant is gorgeous inside
• Beautiful lights and mirrors and a mezzanine level with even more seats and gold topped tables
• The lighting is dark and ambient (great for atmosphere
• Then again it was a Tuesday and it didn't matter at all to us as we had some catching up to do
• We started off with the smoked lamb prosciutto
• A few weeks ago I met up with the community manager of food review site Zomato to talk all things food
• This was followed with them sending me a voucher for food at Fortnum and Mason
• The Gallery is situated at the back of the ground floor of Fortnum and Mason
• We both love Fortnums so were interested to find out more about their food
• Being Mother's Day it was super busy in the restaurant but despite a small queue of waiting diners forming
• The restaurant was serving the normal menu
• The salmon was some of the best I've tried delicious without being too oily and cut to a perfect thickness I find smoked salmon can be cut too thin sometimes and you can barely taste it
• The herbs complimented the smoked fish wonderfully and our glass of Chablis was ideal to drink with the starter

Read More