Honey & Co's new home in Bloomsbury - a corner site on Lamb's Conduit Street.
So what do we need to know about Honey & Co?
Honey & Co built up an intensely loyal clientele from the moment they opened their original restaurant on Warren Street. Run by chefs (and husband and wife) Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer, the restaurant had a reputation for some of the best Middle Easter cuisine in London. But recently, the news came that after 10 years, they were closing their original restaurant. Thankfully, news soon followed that they were moving to a much bigger space.
Where are they now?
You'll find them on Lamb's Conduit Street, opposite Noble Rot. They've taken over the corner site that used to be Cigala. It's pretty much equidistant from Holborn or Russell Square tube stations.
Where's a good place to meet friends for a drink first?
Obviously, the answer is their nearest neighbours at Noble Rot where the front bar or pavement tables are the perfect spot for a pre (or post) dinner glass of truly great wine.
What's the new location like?
First of all, it's WAY bigger than their original place - over twice the size, with lots more terrace space too.
The space is split into two dining rooms, with the odd bit of counter dining along the windows, and there's a private dining space coming soon at the rear. There's also plenty of terrace seating on this corner site and - useful to know for the summer - decent air conditioning too.
What's on the menu?
If you haven't been before, then you're in for a treat with lots of amazing Middle Eastern dishes coming your way. If you're already a diehard fan, then you'll be pleased to hear there are plenty of classics back on the menu here, along with new dishes too.
It's an all-day restaurant, starting with breakfast. Their shakshuka is legendary and they've also added a new orange blossom & almond Bloomsbury Bun, that you'll find on their counter every morning. So if you're in there area, it's well worth popping by for a morning snack.
At lunch, there's a pared-down menu of some of the key mezze and larger sharing dishes. For dinner, you can choose to go a la carte, but we think the best option is to go for the sharing menu (which, when we visited, most of the other people dining did too). That features a selection of almost all of the mezze and choice of any main (and the option of a dessert). It has to be ordered by the whole table and it's £45 for the mezze and main. That's one of London's great restaurant bargains for food of this quality.
Here's what we had:
Mezze - this is such a great way to try as many dishes as possible. When we went it consisted of Bread, Yemeni falafel with tahini sauce & sumac; Hummus with tatbila, smoked paprika and crispy chickpeas Tyrokafteri – feta & pepper dip topped with marinated red peppers; peach salad with goats’ cheese, almonds & orange blossom; Cherry, freekeh, herb, pine nut & pistachio tabule and Halloumopitta.
Halloumopitta - a close-up of just one of the mezze dishes, this is a Cypriot pie made with halloumi and topped with thyme honey and za’atar
One of the main course options is aubergine shawarma with a marinated tomato salad and tahini sauce on pitta. One of their classic dishes, this is back on the menu at Bloomsbury.
Crisped lamb shoulder and rib with crushed fresh peas, rocket & mint, feta and urfa butter - gloriously crispy lamb, and there's a lot more of it piled under the peas.
Room for dessert?
There has to be. Yes, dessert costs an extra £5 per person if you add it to the sharing menu, but when one of those dessert options is the dish that brought Honey & Co to everyone's attention, then why wouldn't you?
Feta & honey cheesecake - the restaurant's signature dish that always comes with a seasonal topping of fruit. Hugely popular for a reason - it is DELICIOUS.
Cherry & pistachio cake with sour cream - a still-warm slice of dense and delicious cake which would have been a standout in any restaurant, but just couldn't beat the cheesecake as our favourite.
And to drink?
The wine list here is sourced by Keeling, Andrew & Co (yes, the same people behind Noble Rot) and features Mediterranean producers who, as they say "are as particular about what they put in the bottle as we are about what we put on your plate".
Lots are available by the glass, carafe and bottle - glasses start at £8 going up to £87 for a bottle of Chateau Musar. We opted for a fresh and delicious Palestinian wine called Star of Bethlehem from Dabouki 2019 (£40 a bottle).
Overall thoughts:
When we first heard that Honey & Co's landlord was turfing them out of their original site it seemed like a disaster for the popular chef duo. Now, on visiting their new home, it feels like it all happened for a reason. The new place is a delight - flooded with light, filled with Sarit's homemade pottery, and is bringing in first-time diners alongside longstanding regulars. Its arrival has made this corner of Lamb's Conduit Street a culinary triangle with Honey & Co, La Fromagerie and Noble Rot all complementing each other's offering.
Go as soon as you can - if you can get a table.
More about Honey & Co Bloomsbury
Where is it? 54 Lamb’s Conduit Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1N 3LW
How to book: On their website although they also hold a few counter seats back for walk ins.
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @honeyandco.
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Honey & Co. Prices correct at time of publication.
Interior photo: Patricia Niven
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