Middle East niche
CLERKENWELL in London EC1 is on the up. As well as the architects and copywriters who populate its offices by day, the well-heeled inhabitants of its rapidly multiplying loft conversions make up a thriving local crowd at evenings and weekends. The latest establishment to take advantage of this burgeoning desirability is Midi, a modern Lebanese restaurant developed by ex-Pizza Express manager and franchise director Jonathan Dell.
"I saw an empty niche in the market for a middle-market, Middle Eastern restaurant that bridged the gap between West End Lebanese restaurants and high-street kebab shops," he says.
The result is a bright, minimalist, informal eaterie that attracts a mixed crowd spending an average £16 per head. After just 22 weeks in business, the 120-seat, split-level restaurant is serving 70-80 covers at lunchtime and 150-200 in the evening.
The non-changing menu allows Dell to keep his prices low and encourages familiarity. It contains dishes that he collected during several trips to Lebanon and developed with his general manager Sophie Child. The food is cooked in full view of customers by seven chefs - up to five at a time - trained by Dell. There is no head chef.
There are 16 starters, or meze, eight cold and eight hot. Some, such as hummus (£2.90) and stuffed vine leaves (£3.65) are familiar dishes which reflect the similarity of eating habits all over the Middle East. Dell is particularly proud of babaganoush (£3.40), a hummus-like dip made with charcoal-grilled aubergines stripped of their skin and seeds and blended with olive oil, sesame paste and lemon juice.
To accompany the meze there is plain pitta bread, baked on site, or ajeen: folded flatbread layered with either aromatic spices (£2.50), halloumi cheese (£2.85) or minced lamb and tomatoes (£3.10).
Most of the nine main courses are lamb or chicken kebabs grilled over charcoal. One of the most popular is shish taouk (£7.65) - chicken breast marinated in olive oil, lemon, tomato and garlic.
Two fish kebabs are included - for instance, samac kebab (£8.45) combines marinated tuna, halibut, red pepper and onion. Kebabs are served with fries or chiari rice - a moulded dome of basmati rice, steamed with Chinese egg vermicelli and fried in olive oil. There are also three main course salads, starting at £5.75.
Only one of the six deserts is Lebanese: baklava - a selection of traditional pastries served with slices of lemon. The wine list, included on the main menu, is short and simple: six reds, five whites and two Champagnes are offered. n
Midi, 140/142 St John Street, London EC1V 4UA. Tel: 0171-250 0025
