Of all the cuisines making a big break in London right now, Lebanese seems to be stuck in a rut. Across the dining scene some cuisines have simply either had their time, some fallen out of fashion, while others have been ignored because of the huge gastronomic influx – some have even been forgotten about altogether. The British curry house in central London is a prime example – there really isn’t many around any more. We’re not talking about Indian food however, but Lebanese – a cuisine I’ve not eaten much of for a while but after my feast of a lunch here at Yasmeen – I don’t think I can ever ignore this delicious middle eastern staple for much longer. St Johns Wood isn’t an area I visit much, but it may be now. Yasmeen is the newest addition to this part of town, serving up Lebanese cuisine – with an added touch of luxury. The outdoor terrace is gorgeous too and the Lebanese wine, is oh-so quaffable.
One thing I didn’t expect at this Lebanese restaurant was for everything to be so vibrant and fresh as it was. Dishes such as the dolma – vine leaves stuffed with rice and tomato were extraordinary. I’ve had my fair share of dolma but none as good as this, or most importantly – as fresh as this. Each dolma was unbelievably juicy and full of flavour. Falafel was next up and is one dish I’m very fond of but often dissatisfied with. Thankfully there was none of that problem here and the outer being beautifully crisp, while the inner was moist and fragrant – dipped into our side of tahini sauce it turned this dish into a dream. Hummus was another lovely example of a classic, but the baba ganoush (for which I somehow lost the photo) was even better – full of that intense smoky and roasted flavours.
Things continued on a high with the likes of another relatively simple dish such as the tabbouleh, which still seemed rather impressive – this isn’t any old parsley salad. The freshness is what really gets me most excited about Lebanese food. If we had to pick our least favourite dish here at Yasmeen it was probably these little sambousek pastries. Filled with meat onions and pine nuts – the whole thing was a little unflattering and slightly dry, dip it into that lovely hummus however and it fares get better. Apparently one of the specialities of Yasmeen was these unusual cheesy meaty pancakes. If I remember correctly (which if wrong I blame the wine) then these specialities were called arayes. Previous encounters with this dish normally used a hard pita, so this soft and flaky variant was worlds apart – it was absolutely delicious. Flavour wise it was full of intense fragrant spice and juicy mouth-watering meat. A must order dish when visiting Yasmeen.
Praising the food so highly already you’d think it couldn’t possibly get any better – but it just kept on giving. Without a doubt there is one thing I can honestly say about my experience here, is that the meats and the precision of the cooking are easily the best examples I have ever had at a Lebanese restaurant in London. A mixed grill came served with juicy, fragrant chicken. Lamb skewers bursting with flavour and a minced kofta style kebab to keep you dreaming. Even better yet was a dish I sadly forgot the name of (so someone please tell me and write it in the comments box below) because I want to attempt it in my own kitchen. Juicy style lamb shawarma, drenched in golden sultanas also came paired with some stunning fragrant rice. We were incredibly full by this point – in fact near braking point but we still managed to put most of this dish away. Don’t ever leave this restaurant without trying this dish – its beautiful.
Dessert arrived on an epic scale too. The restaurant had kindly set us a table outside in the courtyard, with a platter of watermelon and ripe red cherries waiting for us. You may think what’s so special about such a simple dish but you know what, when fruit is this juicy, ripe and chilled – it can be unbelievably satisfying. Biting into such an amazing watermelon left us quite literally dribbling at the table. Pistachio tart I liked a little less, but my baklava obsession was suitably fulfilled – a goody bag was involved too which saw me all the way through the weekend.
So while Lebanese food across London has had a little slump over the past couple of years, it’s refreshing to see places like Yasmeen opening up and serving not only good Lebanese food, but outstanding Lebanese food. I actually visited this same site many years ago when it was called Blenheim Terrace and back then it was a perfectly fine British restaurant – but now it’s something special, it has a gorgeous courtyard and some of the loveliest staff you’ll find in North London.
8/10
I was invited to review
