Honey & Co. is a gem of a restaurant tucked away in Fitzrovia and serves delectable food from the Middle East. The surrounding neighbourhood (including the very cool Charlotte Street) offers a plenitude of trendy restaurants and proper London boozers, but it is this sweet eatery I would visit time and time again.
The restaurant may serve exotic and flavoursome food, but the decor is simple and pretty. The clean white walls and subtle spotlights encourage the bright colours of the food and wine to really pop and also showcase the intricately tiled indigo floor. Candles in magenta holders burn brightly, yellow flowers in food cans from far away places places bloom cheerfully and crimson pomegranates fill big bronze bowls. White shelves are lined neatly with homemade delights you can buy – from preserved lemons to candy pink-labelled bottles of rosewater.
The food is stunning and comforting. I would recommend the Luxury Meze to start – little portions of food packed with flavour that deliver a taste of heaven with each mouthful. The meze includes homemade pickles and kalamata olives, marinated feta and homemade hummus with spiced lamb (or without if you are a veggie) and Alexandria style falafel with green tahini – all so deliciously satisfying you are nearly defeated at the first course. Main courses though are just as impressive; Lebanese Moussaka created with baked violet aubergines in a rich tomato sauce and gooey goats cheese and Lamb, Chard and Chickpea Stew with cumin, lemon and yoghurt delight your taste-buds. Homemade cakes and pastries glisten temptingly on the counter, but it is hard to find room. I don’t think it will be long though before the orange blossom cake seduces me.
The service is cheerful and friendly and although the restaurant is compact and quite intimate, this only adds to the appeal. The last time I visited with my husband, we chatted away to our fellow diners over strong, bitter coffee and left saying a warm goodbye to our new friends.
Dining at Honey & Co. is like experiencing the sights, sounds, and intoxicating scents of the Middle East – then stepping out of the door and boom, there in all its majesty is London Town. What could possibly be sweeter than that?
NicolaG
