When we first heard that one of our three-star favourites was opening a second establishment in Neal’s Yard, we were brimming with anticipation. Here’s our review of The Palomar’s white-hot and just-opened sequel, which certainly has a lot to live up to…
The Barbary Coast was the European name for modern-day Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. The term evokes images of an exotic land of traders and pirates, where now-extinct Barbary lions roamed free – and it provides the inspiration for the second London restaurant from the team behind The Palomar.
Like its big brother, The Barbary offers an enticing blend of Israeli cooking with Mediterranean ingredients and influences, but also adds North African spices and cooking techniques to the mix. Eyal Jaegermann, previously senior sous chef at Palomar, is in charge, helping to produce the same warm welcome and lively vibe as at the Soho restaurant.
The cosy interior echoes a Middle Eastern courtyard, with a bustling open kitchen at its heart where you can watch the chefs at work. No bookings are taken and there are just 24 counter seats. Breads are freshly baked: warm Jerusalem bagel comes with a traditional paper twist of za’atar spice for dipping; a pillowy naan is perfect for scooping up dollops of smoky baba ganoush.
The short menu is divided into land (meat), sea (fish) and earth (vegetarian) dishes – all deftly spiced and seasoned to make flavours sing. We were transported to the Middle East with rich, meltingly tender Persian goat stew, slow-cooked for eight hours with turmeric, root veg and pomegranate juice. Perfectly grilled swordfish was simply served with capers, roast garlic and vine tomatoes, while chicken (its skin spicy and charred) was balanced by some creamy labneh.
Desserts are deeply sweet and fragrant: hashcake (no, not that kind) is a rich pistachio, oats and brown sugar tart; Beirut nights (a semolina pudding with rose syrup) lives up to its name with enticing flavours. Another bonus to The Barbary is its short but interesting drinks list, which encompasses trendy orange wines, vermouth and arak.
Find out more about The Barbary here
This article was published 21 June 2016