Review: Ceru, Flavours of the Levant
Style Points: 3/5
Price: ££
Overall: 4/5
Ceru is the latest addition to London’s pop-up restaurant scene, located on Rathbone Place in Fitzrovia this radiant Levantine restaurant is perfect for combating the winter blues.
Sheepa Miah and myself hosted our first Foodie Meet up here earlier in the month and had a great time! Offering food from regions of the Levant which includes Cyprus, Turkey, Lebanon and Israel, Ceru is a small but bright space decked out in yellow and blue. The theme of the decor is transferred into the food too as the dishes are also all fresh and colourful.
Table setting
Cook book by the Executive Chef
Spices
Would I Want Seconds?
On arrival we were warmly welcomed by Patricia, the owner who runs Ceru with her husband and team. Their Executive Chef, Tom Kime, has created a seasonal menu that reflects the provenance and sustainability of the ingredients as well as the flavours. In addition their ingredients are sourced locally in the UK as well as from across the Levantine region.
Cooked only in olive oil the food is nutritious as well as fresh and it is evident from the flavours in the dishes that top quality ingredients have been used. Additionally everything is made to order and as a result the cold dishes are typically served first.
We started the meal with a selection of dips and warm Greek pitta bread from the bread basket. The dips included Pancar, which was made of roast beetroot, yoghurt, garlic, & pistachio nuts, and Fadi which was made with fried baby courgette puree with tahini, roast garlic, yoghurt & lemon. There was also a spicy roast red pepper dip with delicious with walnuts & pomegranate molasses and finally traditional houmous topped with chickpeas, green chilli and lemon.
Dips and bread
White bean and parsley salad
Accompanying potatoes
After this appetising starter in which we were able to sample a selection of the spices and flavours of the Levant, we moved onto ordering our main courses.
I choose the chicken kebab marinated with lemon and paprika. This arrived in juicy and succulent chicken pieces marinated in an aromatic blend of spice and an accompanying garlic and herb dressing. We also tried the crushed white beans and parsley salad served with tomato, chilli and extra virgin olive oil which served well as a healthy accompanying side dish.
For my dessert I tried the spice roast pears with cinnamon and orange zest, served with sweet labne. This was definitely the healthy option in terms of desserts as it was essentially pears and yogurt. For once my dessert didn’t make me feel bad about eating it! However there are other options with chocolate, ice cream and baklava for those who want to indulge.
In addition to the fresh food there is also an extensive list of fresh fruit juices which are made to order. These compliment the detoxing nature of the food really well and are a great addition to the menu, especially now that Spring is approaching!
Chicken Kebab
My meal
Could I Afford Seconds?
Ceru have a tapas style menu but the portions sizes are quite large and so easily shared between two or a group of diners.
The food in the Veggie Heaven section of the menu cost approximately £5 and include dishes such as herbed zucchini fritters with feta cheese at £5.25 as well as chermoula roasted aubergines which cost £6.
Their fresh salads cost approximately £5 too each and are a good sharing dish to compliment the main course. The meat, fish and shellfish main courses are approximately £9 for a good portion size. The desserts are also at the £5 mark making Ceru a well-priced restaurant to visit.
Overall: 4/5
Ceru is a pop-up which reminds me of summer. The bright colours of the décor, the colourful healthy food and drinks and the helpful staff all generate an immensely radiant atmosphere.
It’s actually no wonder that Ceru has a sunny disposition as they are also passionate about sustainability and the environment and aim to recycle everything and use ethically sourced ingredients and materials.
In addition to dinner, Ceru is perfect for quick lunches and they also have a breakfast and takeaway menu too. However I’d suggest making a reservation soon to try these exquisite Levantine creations, as this pop-up is only here till April 2015, after which they aim to move to a permanent location later in the year.
Ice cream baklava
Spiced pears
Walnut and pistachio cake
A special thanks to Ceru for hosting our Foodie Meep up and to all the lovely foodies who attended!
Website: www.cerurestaurants.com
Address: 29 Rathbone Place, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1JG
Closest Tube Station: Tottenham Court Road