The Barbary- London
Mr. T and I just returned from our 10 day European vacation where as usual we packed way too much into one trip; four different countries, three plane rides, six trains and one nasty illness later and I have to say even with a few ups and downs it was amazing. And it all began with our incredible lunch at The Barbary. After checking into our hotel Sunday afternoon Mr. T and I walked directly to Neals Yard in Covent Garden and the cute and cozy Barbary which takes its inspiration from the countries along the Atlantic Coast leading into Israel. Let me just start by saying I absolutely loved everything about this restaurant.
The Space- I always love watching the excitement of an open kitchen and here the only place to dine was right in the middle of all the action. All 24 seats are part of a circular bar with the kitchen in the center.
The Food- an incredible mix of dips, breads and small plates. Like the Jerusalem Bagel a warm, fluffy pretzel like roll covered in sesame seeds that was absolutely addictive.
Super smokey Baba Ganoush that was nicely balanced with pine nuts and olive oil.
Cauliflower Jaffa Style- deep fried cauliflower topped with chopped tomato, cumin and a bright lemon sauce.
Head on Prawns with a creamy lemon mayo.
Chicken Abu Kalmash- big chunks of char-grilled chicken served with stewed tomatoes and paprika atop a rich, creamy hummus.
Of course the hummus dip at the bottom of plate meant we needed one more dipping vessel the incredible golden brown Naan!
Everything we ordered was absolutely amazing and the dishes we didn't order that were flying out of the kitchen looked so incredible I told Mr. T we were coming back for dinner that very night. Of course around 8:00 PM jet leg had really kicked in and we were back at the hotel room ready for bed instead of back out for dinner. But this was an incredible way to kick off the start of our trip and a place I hope might look into branching out in NYC :)
16 Neals Yard
London, UK
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