Randomness Guide to London Menu

This small, unlicensed Algerian restaurant on Acre Lane serves traditional Algerian food, imaginatively cooked and presented.

For a starter, there are cold "salads" - Hummus, Baba Ganoush, broad beans with lentils and mint, cooked carrots with cumin and coriander and so on. These are £3.50 each or two people can share a selection of eight for £12, which is what itsbruce and Jen did on their visit on 13th November, 2010. For a main course,itsbruce had Hout fi Razma, a Salmon and couscous dish. The salmon was lightly steamed with a sharply spiced sauce and sliced almonds, still in the foil. Jen had Lamb Khefta with olives and chickpeas. Both dishes were much appreciated (and were £10.90 each). For desert, there is a wonderful selection of sweets, pastries and Baklava, all prepared in house and intricately decorated. itsbruce and Jen shared a selection of five for £6.50. The total bill for two, including mint tea and bread, came to £46.80.

The space is compact. The upper floor is laid out in café style with seating for around 20 people, separated from the small kitchen only by the counter. The downstairs area is more intimately arranged, with thin hanging drapes and couches, and would be a pleasant venue for a private party. The toilet is downstairs.

The service seems genuinely friendly and welcoming, although the chef was a little nervous when he saw itsbruce taking photographs of the food; apparently, some blogger had recently incorrectly identified the Khefta as being made of pork and their regular Muslim customers boycotted them for a period until the confusion was cleared up.

See also:

• North/South Food review
• Grumbling Gourmet review
• ViewLondon review
• Qype comments