Evening Standard
David Ellis was thrilled by the “one-off” cooking at former Kiln head chef Meedu Saad’s Egyptian-inspired grill, which he hailed as “fusion food without the naffness” in the mould of "West-African-but-not-really" Ikoyi or Tomos Parry’s Welsh-Basque Mountain.
It is, though, “authentic to Saad: authentic to his childhood holidays in Ismailia, to growing up in Tottenham, to his teenage years scrubbing plates in a Turkish Cypriot greasy spoon just off Turnpike Lane. Authentic to his years at Kiln cooking food from Thailand, Burma, Laos.”
David recommended “faultless” orzo braised with oxtail and black lime; “transcendent” veal sweetbreads with a Bordelaise glaze; “stunning” Dexter beef tartare with Djerba harissa; pureed white beans with wild herbs and bottarga which “stopped our conversation”; glazed sausage with cloves and cinnamon; dandelion salad; and bread that “had me gurgling idiotically”. Duck, turbot and featherblade steak were not as good, but the wine list was “masterfully curated — with, thank God, enough bottles in the £20s”.
David Ellis - 2026-04-12
