Shawarma Bar

Kebabs are no longer the preserve of drunken revellers. Restaurants such as Black Axe Mangal and Le Bab have raised the bar and now Haggerston’s Berber & Q has joined the party, with this small, very cool space. Amid low lighting and a hip-hop soundtrack, we kicked off with a selection of cold mezze: mesabaha (think deconstructed hummus) was a beautifully creamy dip for toasted chollah, a yeast-leavened egg bread. The mains took the flavours up a notch via a lamb shawarma rice bowl with harissa, salad and quail’s egg, drenched in juices from the spit. The pulled-apart lamb was juicy and full of spice, although our highlight was the ice cream pitta sandwich; tahini soft-serve, caramelised banana and drizzles of toffee sauce. The cinnamon-coated pitta is almost churro-like, its crunchy texture deftly balanced by the melting soft serve and chewy banana. To wash it all down, there’s a short, strong selection of cocktails using the likes of dates and pomegranate as core ingredients, while non-alcoholic, botanical sips include rosemary lemonade. Service was generally good (we waited a while to order) and prices are very reasonable considering the standard of food. Hit up the takeaway hatch is you prefer Berber and sofa.