Food / Features / Reviews / Eat Here: Tabun Kitchen, Soho

Eat Here: Tabun Kitchen, SohoBy Alicia Grimshaw

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Middle Eastern grub is a sociable affair. The dipping. The tearing. The sharing. It’s one of my all-time favourite cuisines; the spooning of various dips onto your plate, and picking at falafel even though your body is made up of 99% baba ghanoush. It’s a glorious way to eat – ordering sharing plates, bread baskets and dip a-plenty. I truly believe there’s no finer thing in life than putting the word to rights over a good platter of hummus.

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The London food scene is positivity brimming with Middle Eastern hangouts, but if you’re after new kid on the block, I can’t recommend Tabun Kitchen enough – here’s what you need to know:

Tabun Kitchen: The Vibe

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Tabun Kitchen located on Berwick Street focuses on Jerusalem street food, with Palestine hospitality to match. The word ‘tabun’, meaning oven is the main focal point of the restaurant – with all bread baked fresh to order. It’s so freshly baked, that you have to play hot potato with it for a few minutes to cool down.

The restaurant somewhat resembles a Dulux catalogue page; think purple and lots of it. The restaurant may not win gold in the beauty pageant competition, but you don’t come here to admire the decor, you come here to eat. And eat you will. Tabun Kitchen is great for all occasions; a catch up dinner with friends, a quick pre-theatre bite, or a leisurely work lunch.

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Tabun Kitchen’s menus showcase a range of dishes based on the traditional home-cooking of the region – from Musakhan to Makloubeh – with fresh new twists. The team have brought taditional Palestinian dishes into the modern age with their own flair and style. Tabun Kitchen mirrors the eating experience found in the Middle East, where dining takes centre stage. Whether that’s with family, co-workers, or friends, it’s all about sharing, and a foodie experience that brings everyone together.

Tabun Kitchen: The Food

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You can easily get carried away with over ordering on the starters, as did we, but there’s no shame in eating enough hummus to last you a week. A good mezze is key to any Middle Eastern meal, so don’t be shy and get ordering a few plates to kick off proceedings. Top dishes on your hit list should be the hummus three ways, a trio of traditional hummus, coriander and lime hummus, and chickpea and garlic hummus. All were rich, silky smooth and utter irresistible when dolloped on their baked bread, straight out of their oven. The Jerusalem falafel was another tasty revelation – with a sumac onion centre, and a crispy, sesame coating. The moutabal was insanely good, with smokey and earthy flavours from the roasted aubergine, pair that with the thick slabs of grilled halloumi and you’re really onto a winner.

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If you’re after something on the heartier side, you simply can’t go wrong with the lamb makloubeh. A potion of rice, topped with melt-in-the-mouth lamb, and served with a punchy yogurt and mint dressing. It’s a simple dish: lamb. Rice. Dressing. And proof that you don’t need to mess around with concept too much.

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If you haven’t overdone it on the bread with the starters, the musakhan chicken is an excellent choice. It’s essentially flatbread stuffed with sumac roasted chicken, but the flavours. Oh man, the flavours are incredible. The tender chicken topped with caramelised onions, and added spice for good measure really brought the whole dish to life. Ditch your knives and folks, and take this baby down with your own bare hands.

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The Tabun oven offers a whole host of bread-y delights that are utterly delicious. The manaeesh bread can be served with a range of toppings. If it’s meat your after, I thoroughly recommend the lamb tahini kofta with onions, pine nuts, and chilli for added bite. The bitterness of the tahini and the crunch of the pine nuts marries all the ingredients together. It’s damn good.

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Keep it basic, I say, and order the spinach manaeesh with sumac, pine nuts and pomegranate. And that’s the great thing about Middle Eastern munch, there’s plenty of veggie options that are just as good, or better, than their meaty cousins.

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Don’t, for heaven’s sake, think about not ordering the za’atar fries. Yes, it’s chips covered in za’atar, but it’s a taste sensation. An aromatic taste sensation. And when you take said chips, and dunk them into the tangy garlic sauce, it really does make your tastebuds sing.

We may not have been able to tackle a dessert, but somehow we did manage to squeeze in a few pieces of baklava with a pot of mint tea. The nutty, syrupy bites are hard to turn down.

Tabun Kitchen: The Drinks

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Order a bottle of cheap plonk and be done with it. Focus your time on picking your hummus, not your alcoholic beverage.

Tabun Kitchen: The Verdict

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Oh boy. I’ve got a lot of time for Tabun Kitchen. Yes, the service is chaotic, but it all adds to the buzz of this place. From the beautiful homemade hummus down to the tender lamb, and amazing bread – the menu showcases Middle Eastern fare at its finest. The guys are really onto a winner here, and it won’t be long till I’m returning for more. Go check this place out for yourself; I promise you, you won’t be disappointed.

For more information, visit their website here. 77 Berwick St, Soho, London W1F 8TH

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Alicia Grimshaw

Alicia is a features writer at About Time. A Northerner with a passion for eggs, brunch & HIIT, she can usually be found wearing matching prints and battling press releases. Don’t ever tell her your brand is ‘guilt-free’.