Harden's survey result
Summary
“Interesting and tasty small plates” – “sort of evolved eastern Mediterranean” – is backed up by a “short and eclectic wine list” focused on the same region at Barry & Patricia Hamilton’s Levantine duo in Queensway and South Kensington. With its “fast, efficient service”, the latter is a “good place for pre-Albert Hall dining”. Top Menu Tip – for brunch, “the Turkish breakfast (halloumi, merguez, baked eggs, spicy tomato crush, pitta bread)”.
Summary
“Ever-reliable, ultra-tasty sharing plates” and “brisk but jolly service” are the order of the day at “this buzzy South Ken local” (and its Queensway offshoot) from Barry & Patricia Hamilton. The “interesting” mix of Greek and Middle Eastern cuisines is backed up by a “very different wine list – Lebanese, Macedonian, Greek, Armenian”.
Summary
“Delicious food from the Levant, served with charm” has earned an enthusiastic following for Barry and Patricia Hilton’s “interesting Middle Eastern” bistros: particularly the original, tucked away in South Kensington’s ‘Little France’ in a quirky modernised unit with a Scandi-meets-North-Africa vibe. A thumbs-up too for its newer, year-old Queensway branch.
Summary
“Innovative and delicious Lebanese/Middle-Eastern cooking” has firmly established Barry and Patricia Hilton’s nattily decorated modern bistro in the ‘Petit France’ enclave close to South Kensington’s museums. “It’s great to see them back in action – they’ve tweaked the menu and the food is even more delicious”. “Fabulous service, too”. The venture started out with a series of pop-ups, and a second bistro that started off in Soho transferred to Queensway in summer 2021.
For 34 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
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Restaurant details
Ceru Restaurant Diner Reviews
"We were walking down Bute Street SW7 which is a short pedestrian street. It was lunchtime on a hot day and we stopped at what turned out to be a rather lovely little Eastern Mediterranean [Lavant] restaurant. We sat outside and decided to try some of the vegetarian small sharing dishes. We particularly liked the Ceru Hamara which was a tangy red pepper dip with walnuts and pomegranate molasses. We also enjoyed the Sticky roasted baby aubergines with date syrup and the watermelon and toasted feat salad. The Zucchini and feta fritters were a strong taste but the watermelon salad helped to calm it down. The spiced warm cauliflower looked very good and we liked that there were a bit 'al dente'. The dips with long spears of sweet carrot and cucumber was a good touch. I liked the pitta bread. We had 5 sharing dishes plus the pita plus 2 bottles of lager. Inside the restaurant was so well designed in line with the Levant theme. The bill including service came to £63. There are 3 locations and we will return to Ceru Farringdon to try some of the meat and fish dishes. Service was excellent."
"Interesting and tasty food, sort of evolved Eastern Mediterranean. Short and eclectic wine list, reasonably priced. Efficient service. Noisy, difficult to converse. "
"Queensway venue. Eastern Mediterranean small plates and wines."
"A while since I last visited this establishment and it was good to know the experience was as good as remembered. Food is very tasty and well flavoured showing that simple combinations of good fresh ingredients are all you need. Service was attentive without be intrusive. Good to go back."
Prices
 Drinks |
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|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £17.50 |
| Filter Coffee | £2.50 |
 Extras |
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|---|---|
| Service | 12.50% |
| Number of Diners: | |
| Required Time: | |
Opening hours
Mon-Fri noon-11 pm, Sat 11 am-11 pm, Sun 11 am-10 pm
Last orders: 11 pm, Sun 10 pm
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