Noura Central - Great
Lebanese Food in London
Noura
Central
122 Jermyn Street
London SW1
Tel: 020 7839 2020
Fashion and trends are forever
changing, currently it seems that
the grazing menu is all the rage
in London’s celebrated dining
rooms. This approach to eating
however has always been de rigueur
in the Middle East. Noura, a slick
Lebanese institution right in the
heart of the capital, has a wealth
of dishes to try in the form of
the Mezze. Here you can eat to
your hearts content on a fabulous
array of hot and cold dishes without
denting your wallet too alarmingly
whilst enjoying the relaxed and
affable atmosphere.
The large restaurant is busy and
bustling at the front, giving way
to a much more laid back, relaxed
atmosphere at the rear. The interior
is an eclectic mix of tastes with
the dining room decorated in muted
colours - predominately grey and
ochre with subtle lighting and
soft music. Banquette seating with
comfortable cushions in a myriad
of colours complete the opulence.
Lebanese food really has something
for everyone and vegetarians are
well looked after here, however
there is plenty for carnivores
as well. We ordered a range of
hot and cold Mezze dishes from
the list which had over 40 different
choices. Our selection included
Samke Harra, a really tasty fish
ratatouille with hot red and green
peppers, onion and a kick of coriander.
Sawdat Djaj, piquant and lemony
marinated tender chicken livers
flambéed in lemon and garlic.
Light pastry rissoles with lamb
and pine kernels or a mild cheese
interior, and tasty flambéed
sausages, (with maybe a touch too
much lemon for my palate), before
rounding things off with a pungent,
fresh on the palate, tabbouleh
salad. With this we drank
the house Lebanese wine, a Chateaux
Ksara
blanc de blancs. It was very fresh
and light, crisp and dry in flavour
with a clean and sharp finish and
a good choice with our food, reasonably
priced at £24 a bottle.
If you still feel hungry there
is a whole range of main course
dishes to tempt you. We shared
a plate of king prawns with a coriander
and tomato sauce served with rice,
which whilst being perfectly pleasant
did not stand out as being on a
par with some of the Mezze. For
dessert we had a little taste of
a couple of dishes including a
wonderful selection of ices - chocolate
and strawberry, and achta, a milky
sweet cheese mixed with pistachio
nuts and melon. Some melt in the
mouth Baklawa pastries concluded
our feasting.
Noura Central is a great place
for a quick snack or a relaxed
dinner, its location, (with its
entrance actually on Lower Regent
Street) also makes it perfectly
situated for a pre or post theatre
bite with last orders served up
well after 11pm.
Louise Elgin. February 2008.
Dinner with wine and water is
about £35 a head.
Other branches
are located in Belgravia, Mayfair
and Knightsbridge.
