Yasmeen - City of London,Westminster

Perhaps the best libanesin in the city! fantastic food, fantastic service! brilliantly try the chicken feet and the hummus beiruty. the falafel is skrumbling and the kebabs are as good as anyone they find.

Apparently fish and chips is the latest trend in the Parisian gastro scene which got me thinking about transplanted food cultures and influences. Would a Parisian fish supper be acceptable to the average Brit? What did this gastro invasion mean for French culinary culture which is globalising faster than Donald Trump changes his mind on…just about everything. I was considering these weighty issues when invited to review Yasmeen, a Lebanese restaurant in St John’s Wood who just won the Time Out Love London Awards for best restaurant in St John’s Wood. It’s also the restaurant’s first anniversary so it seemed like a good...read more

As the music played softly in the background, a veritable potential soundtrack to the Prince of Persia series (the Sand of Times one comes to mind), I could have easily been transposed back to that restaurant in a back alley of Hurghada, should I have closed my eyes. I’ve never fully understood why my wanderlust has such a peculiar effect on me whenever I go to a Middle Eastern restaurant.

Lately I have been really getting into middle eastern foods so an opportunity to check out Yasmeen in St Johnâ€s Wood was always going to be on the cards. The premises have undergone a big refurbishment under the current owners and suffice to say, they have presented with a beautiful setting both indoors and out.

Middle Eastern cuisine is one of the top foodie trends of 2015. Since visiting Marrakech late last year, I have become quite the fan, even though I don't find myself eating as much of it as id like too. Lebanese in particular is one cuisine I haven't had the pleasure of experiencing thus far to date, so I was most excited when asked to come along and review this newly eating space in St Johns Wood. Bashir, the manager of the restaurant welcomed us in with open arms and once sat down, explained to us the menu items and his recommendations for the evening. I actually love it when someone orders for me. These days, I either want to order everything off the menu or I just become way too...read more