Having started out as a mobile stall touring UK festivals, Ceru has now got itself a solid but temporary home in central London, offering a nice mix of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes similar to what you might find at Arabica or Yalla Yalla.
Inside is very small and the seats are tightly packed so be prepared to get to know your neighbours but they also do wraps and salads to take away. The menu is short but sweet with a few options for ‘meat’, ‘fish’ and ‘veggie heaven’ plus some bloody good dips. Go for the selection of four dips and you’ll get hummus, spicy red pepper, fadi (courgette) and pancar (beetroot and yoghurt) served with warm freshly baked pitta.
From the other sections, our favourites were the crispy courgette and feta fritters; the roasted baby aubergines with tomato and chilli; and the juicy slow roast lamb shoulder served with pistachio and pomegranate. Baklava with ice cream and burnt honey caramel rounded things off very nicely indeed.
If you’re a fan of Levantine food, there’s plenty you’ll like at Ceru, so hurry down there while you can as the pop-up is due to close in the next few months when it will move to a permanent (and hopefully bigger!) home.
29 Rathbone Place, London W1T 1JG
www.cerurestaurants.com