The Barbary is the newest restaurant from the guys behind The Palomar which opened in Neal’s Yard, Covent Garden at the end of June 2016. Having absolutely nailed it at The Palomar it comes as no surprise that The Barbary is everything we hoped it would be – and more. The food is inspired by countries that span the Barbary coast, from Israel to Morocco. Dishes are made for sharing and we worked our way through a good chunk of the menu, kicking off with the freshly baked super light naan and dips – DO NOT miss the spicy plate and the smoky, sweet tbecha roasted tomatoes.
We moved on with a couple of cigs, that’s Moroccan cigars which are deep fried pastry rolls filled with a spicy cod mix. Pata Negra neck is another must order with a sticky sweet marinate and the lamb cutlets which are served flaming – literally – on top of a creamy dip. Then there’s the cauliflower Jaffa style which is incredible, so good we refused to give the plate back and instead order ANOTHER naan to wipe the sauce up.
[URIS id=68661]We ended with (a legal) hash cake, drank some delish Lebanese rose wine and had absolutely no complaints. In fact the worst thing about The Barbary is it’s size, with only 24 seats and food this good we expect they will be queues. That said, if you are lucky to score one you’re in for a treat as most overlook the kitchen so you get a bit of free theatre too.
A bloody great new dining option in Covent Garden. We will be back.
For our favourite London restaurant, see our Top 20 guide here.
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16 Neal’s Yard, Seven Dials WC2H 9DP
www.thebarbary.co.uk