Queens Park. Birthplace of the world's finest football team. Home of good looking media types who rub shoulders with road men and young families. A village feel with knifecrime classes at the local church. And who could argue with putting up with a bit of rough when the smooth of urban living is local restaurants like Carmel?
'Cool' and 'trendy' are two very different things and Carmel sits firmly in the former. Choc full of big hair, natural fibres and dogs and set as it is on an industrial, pedestrianised side street you could easily be in NY's DUMBO or Soho. Three sets of French doors open onto the street for al fresco lovers who want to admire the arty graffiti above and the cobblestones below whilst inside is all brick, exposed shelving and trunking, big shared tables with benches, hanging plants. To the left you can sit at the bar. All extremely inviting. Hunker down territory. Effortlessly cool and homely - if your home is a £3 mil dockside pad. Hell even the typeface that carries their name on the awning is damn cool.
The menu is pure Middle Eastern and Mediterranean and mouth watering. A selection of flatbreads topped with burrata, zaatar, artichoke and tomato and the like. Standard snack such as hummus and pita along with more eclectic efforts like smoked kohlrabi and salmon curd. Mains provide a great mixture for all moods. Lamb Shoulder Shawarma, heritage tomato salad, Urfa chicken chilli, charred hispi cabbage, the list goes on.
The flat bread is wonderfully chewy and the burrata provides creamy lubrication. The tomato salad comes on a bed of blitzed avacado. The colours are vibrant and the sharpness of the ensemble wakes the taste buds. They made a tomato salad feel decadent yet healthy and spring like.
Zaatar Chicken Schnitzel comes gnarly. Warped and curled up by the heat of the deep fryer, it doesn't look elegant but it tastes superb. Thick crust of matzo for unctuousness on its bed of smoked aubergine for added flavour notes. Shakshuka is bright and zingy. Mixed lamb with baked egg, plentiful fresh herbs and a couple of hunks of charred sourdough does the trick on this Sunday arvo. Serious brunch material.
Generous describes it. Big flavours, big portions, big smiles on big shared tables. The people of Carmel, from the waiting staff to the chefs to the typographer, love what they do and it shows. It's buzzing and nobody looks like they're leaving any time soon so booking is essential. But once you're in, you're in for a treat. read more