yalla yalla

i and i have never had luck at yalla yalla green's court. our hunger and impatience always gets the better of us. and it doesn't help that there isn't a convenient waiting space. however all that has changed because there is now (in relation to the green's court location) a super size yalla yalla right of oxford street. on the evening that we went the weather was so warm we sat outside. inside, the decor has been kept to minimal with an emphasis on the woody tones of the  walls. the seating is canteen style. i personally prefer the green's court yalla yalla if only for the intimacy and more subdued conversation. yalla yalla winsley street is the teenage version of green's court. 

muhammara

neither of us had anticipated the generosity of the serving sizes so that i's selection of muhammara, makale samak, kibbe nayye and halloumi meshoue along with my choice of a chicken shawarma had to be doggy bagged for its passage home. as memory served from my previous visit, the food here is excellent. thick slices of halloumi grilled till its edges were golden brown was served on a mild and fruity olive oil with some tomatoes to cut through the saltiness. the makale samak essentially a lebanese tempura were fresh and hot. i personally do not care for these as i am not a huge fan of deep fried things but it is to yalla yalla's credit that the batter was crisp and light. the muhammara was really good with its nuttiness oiliness from ground nuts contrasting with the sweetness of roasted red peppers.

chicken shawarma

the chicken shawarma plate was piled high with bite sized chicken, heavily moist with the fat that it was grilled in. the vermicelli basmati smelt as buttery as it tasted. i have a weakness of rice done this way and definitely over indulged. a pile of salad including red onion adds a note of freshness to an otherwise fatty dish. finally, i have found a place where o will be happy to eat a shawarma given his resistance to going to edgware road. 

on a day when we had been less gluttonous i and i would have most certainly ordered dessert, possibly a mohalabiya but that was out of question today. instead we contented ourselves with fresh mint tea which in customary middle eastern style comes already sweetened. there is a hint of floral in the tea here which suggested the inclusion of rose water. the tea did not do as much as we had wanted for our food coma but then after a day of eating as much as we did we were making unreasonable demands. so after a teapot full, doggy bay in tow we took a much needed walk to piccadilly circus from where we got the tube home.