When I heard that Honey & Co was opening up a sister restaurant, I was beyond excited. As a massive fan of the Israeli restaurant, famous for its incredible brunches, I could not wait to try out their new venture. Causal and with a cafeteria vibe, the Honey & approach has once again paid off, with quality food. Definitely worth a visit to Honey & Smoke.
Share everything
The restaurant’s menu is extensive and their set meal is massive, with all the mezzes to share plus a main, a side and dessert each. As tempting as that sounds, it doesn’t fit well with the diet, so we went for a sharing approach, ordering a starter and three mains.
My love for aubergine meant trying their version of babaganoush. The dip was smokey and flavourful, but what really made the difference was the seeded lavoush, a soft and thin cracker. It was not your usual dipping material but it’s salted taste made the flavour of the aubergine dip more intense and enjoyable.
Each table gets a plate of fresh vegetables which included cucumbers, radish, olives and fruits to nimble on, with their food. This was accompanied with a Moroccan sourdough that had a very interesting texture, perfect with the aubergine dip!
Meat for Mains
Octopus lovers will not be dissapointed with their charred marinated dish. Surprisingly soft compared to other grilled octopus dishes but equally tasty in flavour. This was matched with meshwiya, a sweet tomato and pepper relish.
The lamb chops were cooked in a tahini barbecue sauce and paired with coriander and plums. We discussed as we ate whether it was a plum or a peach as it went really well with the spices and the lamb. Yet another flavourful combination of food!
Our last dish was the Hamama, a pigeon dish taken from Philadelhphia, a restaurant in East Jerusalem. Having grown up eating Chinese style roasted pigeons, I was looking forward to how the middle eastern flavours would work with this bird. Cooked with a combinations of sweet onions, pine nuts and sultanas, it was crunchy, sweet and savoury with the juicy meat. Very different to the dish I ate growing up but still very tasty and flavourful!
Sweet and Happy Finish
Their dessert menu consisted of Honey & Co’s signature version of the kunafeh. Having already tried this before, the interactions between the crunchy kadaif base, the salty feta and the sweet honey cheesecake was something not to be missed. The usual delicious flavours.
During our visit, there was a warm chestnut cake which came with a delightful salted caramel sauce on the side. The combination of the sauce and the spongy cake was fantastic and it is highly recommended to finish your meal with this.
Focus on Food
The canteen feel to the interior creates a very informal atmosphere, something that has been criticised by some and contrasted with the original Honey & Co. However, the overall quality of the food here is fantastic and if you want a quality and delicious meal, then don’t hesitate!
Details
Location: 216 Great Portland St, Fitzrovia, London W1W 5QW
Timings: Tuesday – Saturday 17:30 – 23:30
Reservations: 020 7388 6175 and here
Price of Mains: 12.50 – 15.50
Also published on Medium.