As serious aficionados of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food it seemed only right that on a recent trip to London we stop off at a new restaurant offering just that.

The Palomar, opened recently by some of the Ottolenghi crowd, has already attracted some seriously good reviews (not least from my own parents). We had to see what all the fuss was about.

We started by ordering all the starters (the menu was small after all…sort of). They were all excellent, from the perfectly seasoned fattoush to the delicious bread served with both a gazpacho style dip and tahini, to the fantastic salmon tartar with smoked aubergine. Delicious and different combinations.

Then there were the mains. Scallops for me with cauliflower puree and asparagus, seriously seriously good. I emptied every last drop from my delightfully kitsch plate.

It was the pork belly tagine with Israeli couscous for my other half, proving that pork in middle eastern food (sadly for the majority not permitted to eat it) works very well indeed.

Aand for dessert… Malabi. A mouthwatering Middle Eastern king of desserts, with pistachio, rosewater and kataifi, yum.

Palomar, good work.