Yalla Yalla (CLOSED)

Yalla Yalla continues to produce its hit formula of superior Lebanese cooking in a casual setting. Its self-styled ‘Beirut street food’ resonates with the upbeat informality of these dinky Soho premises; we’ve found the quality to match that of much pricier restaurants. Diners cram on to faux-rustic tables at lunchtime, while others nip in for takeaway wraps – filled with everything from falafel to spicy sujuk sausage – from the pre-prepared selection behind the counter. We were presented with arabic bread, olives and torshi (pickles) as we perused the menu: not the big salad bowls of the posh places, but a charming touch nonetheless. From the concise list of meze dishes we tried a chunky, smoky baba ganoush and a flavour-packed fattoush salad. A profusion of fresh salad vegetables (lettuce, radish, cucumber, spring onion, cucumber and tomatoes) had been labour-intensively chopped small, before adding crispy toasted pitta, a dusting of warm sumac and a red wine vinaigrette – brilliant. Halloumi meshoué (grilled) was fine too, served with olives and mint. There’s also a selection of main-course grills. In all, you get an edited version of a full Lebanese menu here, served in a convivial atmosphere, with the bonus of cocktails in the evening.