TEST-DRIVING THE NEWEST 'CERU' IN SOHO

If you hadn’t guessed already (despite the 56780 times I’ve mentioned it), middle-eastern/Levantine food is my absolute FAV. Hands down. I love the flavours. I love the aromas. I love the textures. But most of all, I love the fact that all the dishes come in huge portions, perfect for sharing! 

Now I’ve tried my fair share of Levantine food across London (and tried my hand at cooking some dishes myself) but one of the places I just keep coming back to is Ceru! Ceru doesn’t really need an introduction on this blog – I mean I’ve written about them twice before! But for the new readers among you (or the forgetful) don’t worry because I’ll fill you in. 

The team at Ceru serve up delicious Mediterranean and Middle Eastern inspired mezze. They started out with a few pop-up locations before taking up a permanent residence was over in South Kensington and now they’ve opened a super bright and breezy restaurant right in the heart of Soho on D’Arblay Street – so of course, I had to head down to check it out! Everything on the menu is designed to share and they recommend around 3-4 dishes per person - which sound a lot but trust me - you'll want to try as much as you can! Start by ordering yourself a couple of bowls of dip to share..

 I loved the Fadi (£5.50) made with roasted zucchini, garlic, tahini and tangy lemon.

The Ceru Hammara (£5) is a tangy red pepper dip topped with walnuts and pomegranate molasses.

All the dips come served with your choice of soft, pillowy breads or crunchy crudities so you can scoop up every last mouthful!

Definitely order yourselves a salad (those are words I rarely say!) because the peach, feta and red onion salad (£6) was one of the tastiest things on the menu. Super fresh and studded with pistachio, chilli, mint and a gorgeous zingy citrus dressing.

The rest of the menu is divided into seafood, meat, poultry and vegetables so I’d recommend ordering one dish from each section to share between you.

The Karides (£10) are huge, garlicy prawns served whole on a skewer, ready to be de-shelled and scooped into the dried lime and coriander labneh yoghurt.
You have to order the lamb shoulder (£11.50)! The meat is slow roasted for five hours in a secret blend of 12 shawarma spices and topped with pomegranate, fresh mint and a pistachio dressing. It’s melt-in-your-mouth tender and one of my absolute favs!
The Shish Taouk (£8.50) is delicately spiced chunks of chicken, skewered and gently charred on the grill. The meat is super tender and very lightly spiced - perfect if you're not a huge lover of heat!
The Spiced Polenta & Feta Fries (£3.50) were a really interesting dish! Crunchy on the outside and creamy and tender within - these are a really novel alternative to traditional chips. What's not to love about fried carbs?!

If there’s one thing you HAVE to order though – it’s the roasted aubergine with chermoula. I was a HUGE fan of this dish on my previous visit so I knew I HAD to order it again! The aubergine has a real meaty quality and that fragrant, tomato sauce is an absolute dream!

Don't be tempted to skip pudding - regardless of how full you're feeling! The desserts at Ceru are really, really excellent. Both in terms of flavour and prevention - I mean just look at my dark chocolate mousse! It's super rich, velvety and perfect for taking the edge of a big meal with hidden studs of sour cherry and pistachio (£4.50).

The Honey and Cardamom Panna Cotta (£4.50) also tastes just as good as it looks. Super light and creamy and heavily fragranced with rose petals, pomegranate and pistachios. Who could resist a pudding served to you in a bronze challis!

Once again I was SO impressed with the food at Ceru and honestly can't recommend it enough. It's light, tasty and incredibly good value. I think they'll be right at home in Soho so do make sure you go and check them out!

Ceru

11 D'Arblay St

Soho, W1F 8DT

* I was invited to the press launch of Ceru