Berber & Q Shawarma Bar

Remove your thoughts of the elephant's leg of mystery meat; shawarma has just gotten sexier, courtesy of chef Josh Katz and his Middle Eastern grillhouse, Berber & Q. And, because Haggerston is a bit of a pilgrimage for some, they've done the nice thing and opened one right in the center of Exmouth Market. This pocket-sized shawarma bar, complete with hanging plants and exposed brickwork, is the type of spot you'll want to bring your pals for a boozy catch-up.

The menu is a scaled-down version of the one at the original, with a focus on spit-roasted meat — lamb, chicken, or beef — served in a rice bowl, on a sharing plate, or in a pita. But rest easy, veggies: there’s also a cauli shawarma (nicely jewelled with juicy sultanas), and the mezze is entirely meat-free. Every blackened aubergine had a double hit of chilli and anchovy; every drop of oil was swept up with toasted challah bread. Moist mejaderah (a Levantine mix of rice and lentils), crackly fried onions, tangy lime pickle, a veiny pickled egg, fiery harissa, and a generous dollop of tahina were all sublime, but didn’t upstage the butter-basted lamb. The beef brisket, though, lacked spice and was smoked to the point of brittleness. One gripe – for essentially a deconstructed pita, £14 for the rice bowl seemed a little steep, especially when the mezze (five for £22.50) is such a steal.

But the desserts made up for it: vanilla soft-serve laced with halva bits and slathered in unsweetened caramel sauce, and a sensuously wobbling cardamom panna cotta studded with rose petals.

Google rating: 4.6/5
Phone: +44 20 7837 1726
Address: 46 Exmouth Market, London EC1R 4QE, United Kingdom
Service options: Dine-in · Takeaway · Delivery
Prices: £11-25
Website: http://www.shawarmabar.co.uk/