Relaxed restaurant Carmel opens in Queen's Park

The team behind Barber & Q and Shawarma Bar have today (30 November) opened a new restaurant and bar in London's Queen's Park. 

Brothers Josh and Paul Katz and Mattia Bianchi have launched the new concept, which focuses on the food and flavours of the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa. An impressive clay oven takes centre stage in the kitchen.

Guests can start the day with freshly roasted coffee from Origin Coffee and choose from a range of classic Mediterranean breakfast dishes, including challah French toast with crème fraiche, blackberry compote and macadamia; porridge with cardamom milk, poached quince and candied hazelnuts; or shakshuka with confit tomato, avacado and aged tahini. 

The lunch menu offers blackened aubergine with tehina and smacked cucumber; a grilled cheese sandwich with rose harissa and quince; mussels escabeche bruschetta; and grilled harissa-marinated prawns with courgette tzatziki. A selection of flatbreads, fresh from the taboon oven, with seasonal toppings – such as spinach and tulum cheese, sweetcorn and goat merguez, and charred leeks and anchovy – are also available. 

Larger dishes join the dinner menu, all of which use high-quality seasonal produce. Tamworth pork chops from Swaledale are served with confit garlic, preserved lemon and borlotti; slow-grilled chicken from Sutton Hoo comes with curry-pickled radicchio and apricot glaze; and grilled turbot and clams are served with fennel and cherry tomatoes. Vegetarians can enjoy sweet potato gnocchi with burnt aubergine, yoghurt and chilli butter; or whole roasted cauliflower with pomegranate agrodolce and walnut.

A small selection of sweets are available to finish, including chocolate, rose and cardamom torte; saffron rice pudding with blood orange ice cream; or grilled pineapple with urfa chilli syrup and pomegranate.


You may also be interested in…