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Approximately 6 months ago Warda a Lebanese Restaurant was opened in Southgate in North London.  I have on occassion driven or walked past and each time I thought, “I really should pop in for a meal sometime!”  Finally I made it.  I arranged to go at a quiet time as my husband and I were to be accompanied by the children.

The decor is modern and the hospitality is second to none.  The atmosphere is relaxed and Lebanese music plays in the background to set the mood.  We were warmly welcomed on arrival, the staff were attentive but did not hover to ensure if we rquired anything it was addressed immediately.

I was looking forward to trying the food as I had seen others post pictures of food from Warda on facebook and it looked fantastic.

The question is, was the food as good as it looked?  After browsing through the menu which had a range of mouthwatering dishes we decided to try the Mezze 6 (available for a minimum of 2 people) which consists of:

A Selection of 6 Mezze

Hummus

A puree of chickpeas, tahini and lemon juice.

Simply delicious.  This was thick and creamy and extremely moreish.  A dish that I have often had but in varying qualities.  This one was very well made.

Tabboule

Minced parsley, mint, onions and tomatoes mixed with cracked wheat, lemon and oilve oil.

I have eaten this dish so many times but never this way, normally there was a large amount of the cracked wheat and less of everything else.  It was a refreshing change and the flavour and smell of the fresh herbs were delicious.

Falafel

Deep fried bean and herb croquettes, lemon and Tahini dip.

This is not like the Falafel you find in the supermarkets!  These had a perfectly crisped outer coating with a soft, smooth inner centre.  You can taste the flavour of the herbs used and they went nicely with the Tahini.

Soujouk

Pan fried homemade Lebanese spicy lamb sausages with cherry tomatoes.

Firstly when I tried this I wasn’t expecting a lemony tang to the sauce but it went surprisingly well, in fact so well that I found myself trying to scrape as much of the sauce onto my spoon as I could for each mouthful.  The sauce and spicy sausages complemented each other perfectly and this was by far one of my favourite dishes.  It was nice that the sausages were very meaty too, not full of fat and this reinforced what I have been saying to people for years that sausages can be healthier and have less fat but still taste amazing!!!

Fatayer

Baked pastry triangles filled with spinach, onions and pine nuts.

The outer pastry was not too thick but was cooked to perfection.  They had just the right amount of filling and the freshness of the ingredients could be tasted with each mouthful.  Delicious!

Warak Inab

Vine leaves filled with parsley, mint, tomatoes, onions and rice.

Having been brought up on these although with a meat filling, I find it amazing to see how much stuffed vine leaves can be made to taste different from chef to chef.  This was an exceptionally good version with a lovely combination of fresh ingredients that complement each other to make sure those taste buds work hard.

Main meal

2 Mixed Grilled Skewers which consists of Kafta (minced lamb, onions and parsley) and Taouk (marinated chicken breast) with rice

We had 2 extra skewers added of the marinated lamb cubes just to make sure there was enough food for all.  This was served with Labne which is a strained yogurt and I think I ate all of that myself it was sooooo yummy and moreish.  There was also rice which the children devoured in between mouthfuls of the chicken and lamb.  Both the lamb and chicken cubes were tender and moist and the lamb mince had a lovely fresh, herby and non fatty flavour as well as not having fatty pieces within the meat.

Dessert

For dessert Baklava, by this this point I was stuffed so I couldn’t eat anymore, miraculously my husband and children managed to polish this off within seconds.

As an extra we asked for a portion of Laban w Khiar for my eldest daughter which is yogurt with cucumber, garlic and mint which is her favourite.  This met with her approval and she decided the whole bowl was for her.  I did however manage to distract her briefly and get a spoonful to try.  Instantly I realised why my daughter was so reluctant to share, it was not only very refreshing but they had the perfect balance of garlic and mint and a fantastic yogurt base.

I cannot stress how much I enjoyed eating at this restaurant and with it being virtually on my door step I have already begun mentioning it to friends and family to get some meal dates arranged.  It was great to see that the owners of the restaurant are so hands on and they have a great passion for the food that they are serving.  The food on the whole is not only full of flavour but also extremely fresh and their chef Youssef Harb ensures each dish that is served is of a high standard (No need for Gordon Ramsey to step in and assist here).  Fortunately for me it is a child friendly restaurant although next time I plan to go without them, that way I get more of the Laban w Khiar, sneaky mummy lol.  There are so many other interesting looking dishes on the menu and I am looking forward to possibly trying everything although maybe not all on the same day.

Their opening hours are:

Sunday to Friday 11:30-23:00

Saturday 11:30-00:30

No closing in between for these guys so perfect for a late lunch or early dinner.

 Although I was not charged for this meal all the opinions expressed here are my own and have not been influenced in any way.  See you all there 😉