Abu Zaad, Edgware Road

26/07/11

Grilled sea bass with rice and tahina sauce
simple and delicious beyond words...

Quite possibly the best restaurant in Little Beirut aka Edgware Road.

11/08/09

I pigged out this evening, on a most wonderful takeaway of the following-

Moutabal-

Finely chopped grilled aubergine mixed with sesame oil and lemon juice.

Warak Inab-

Rolled vine leaves stuffed with rice, tomato and parsley cooked in water, lemon juice & olive oil.

Fattoush-

Salad with the usual cos plus cucmber, tomato, mint, sumac, fried pitta bread with lemon and gallons of olive oil dressing.

I skipped the bread this time, in fact what I'm saying, I skip out on most carbs anyway!

Frika with Chicken-

Fried wheat, spiced Chicken, onion. Served with yoghurt

Outrageously delicious, loved the wheat and barley combo, beats couscous any day!

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Abu Zaad, swoon!...is now my de facto resto for all things Middle Eastern

Edgware Road is THE hub of the Arab community in London and do correct me if I’m wrong, the majority of the location's Middle Eastern restaurants are owned and managed by the Lebanese. It is also possibly the only place in the country where everything remains the same on Christmas Day; the buzz, the bustle, incessant smoke from the shisha pipes and of course the said restaurants that never close on any given national holiday. As for the latter I should know, this the road I've been going to for my Christmas Dinner during the past couple of years. For the sake of argument Lebanese food defines and embodies the term Middle Eastern cuisine, somehow examples like Bahraini and Jordanian sound wholly restrictive in comparison. First and foremost I love grilled meats and I still stand by the fact that the Turks are the absolute best when it comes to kebabs (such a Voldemort type word these days); what with their cuts of meat, the marinades and the most important of all, the art of grilling (often overlooked by foodie connoisseurs). Well I don’t reside near Stoke Newington, as W2 is my domain the Lebanese are the next best thing and I’m perfectly content with that. Meze is another important feature of the restaurants in Little Beirut and to the annoyance of yours truly this selection of appetisers is best enjoyed by a group of diners. Unfortunately most of my dining companions hardly have a craving for this type of cuisine, which ultimately results in takeaways instead of me dining alone at these establishments.

Abu Zaad is one of the newest restaurants on Edgware Road, the premises was previously occupied by one of my favourite places for roast chicken and butter rice, Meshwar. Abu Zaad is also the sibling of the well-known Shepherds Bush hangout of which I’ve already written about here. The difference between the two is obvious; the older restaurant is suitably done up in a shabby but endearing Old Damascus style whereas the Edgware Road branch is as sterile and desperate as Dubai. Abu Zaad bills itself as a Syrian restaurant, erm…to all intents and purposes I think Lebanese is more accurate. I can’t vouch for the dining experience here but what I can confirm is that my takeaway dinners have been rather excellent.

I don’t do TV dinners, but I read instead. Books are one of the three things that I overindulge in, the other two are walking and of course gluttony. The above is my current crop of to-reads and I wouldn’t bother asking about borrowing books from myself; the stains and spillages left on the pages are appalling.

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MsMarmitelover and fellow veggies, look away!

Takeaway Dinner One-

Mixed Grill:
Skewers of lamb cubes, chicken cubes and minced lamb (kofte) with rice (an option of chips is available, but why fuss as they’re only the frozen variety and besides rice is more authentic).

No complaints, excellent!

Takeaway Dinner Two-

Glorious Meze:
consisting of the following-

Tabbouleh:
Finely chopped parsely, tomato, fresh mint, onion, a touch of white pepper and crushed wheat mixed with olive oil and lemon dressing
One of my favourite salads ever

Moussaka:
Aubergine cooked with tomato, onion, chickpeas and sweet pepper.

Foul Mukalla:
Broad beans cooked with fresh coriander, garlic & olive oil.
Here foul (broadbean) is pronounced 'foo'

Farrouj Abou Zaad :
Grilled boneless baby chicken

For those who lambaste Col Sanders and co., please stop it right now. Most if not all of the halal chicken served in this country are of the battery species. If prepared and cooked well, you’ll be rewarded with a fine tasting but ethically dubious bird.

The poussin was excellent.

Chilli sauce is important for this dish, unlike the Indians or the Turks, the Lebanese version, which is tomato based is comparatively mild and delightful.

Takeaway Dinner Three-

Couscous Lamb:
Served with mixed vegetables and gallons of broth

Moroccan dish in a Syrian/Lebanese restaurant? I deliberated with suspicions before I took the plunge and ordered anyway. I’ve never been to Casablanca so I can’t comment on the authenticity of the dish. I was a bit at loss on how to tackle the dish, in the end I just chucked the entire watery broth onto the couscous.

The lamb was excellent, tender and flavourful. The veg was just veg, ratatouille comes to mind, typically unexciting for meat eaters.

When it comes to staples like rice, pasta, bread or even polenta, I can tolerate them, as for couscous…I dunno, I really dunno, I think I’m not crazy about it. Overall reaction- mixed.

Abu Zaad is more than au fait with me, the menu has enticed me enough. I’ve risen to the bait. Highly recommended.


128 Edgware Road
London W2 2DZ
www.abuzaad.co.uk (Currently Shepherds Bush site only)