On a busy first day of London Fashion Week, Lois and I stopped by the beautiful CERU in South Kensington for a deliciously fresh and incredibly tasty lunch date. It was the perfect pit stop in between the hustle and bustle of fashion shows. We had quite the feast and opted for a tapas style lunch, sharing delicious small plates. I highly recommend the Crisp Apple, Mint & Pomegranate Salad. You will see the dishes we chose below. I also recommend the chicken shish and rose scented lamb skewers (we shared half each) and they were so good! The menu is gluten free (except the breads). It’s suitable for vegetarians, vegans, meat eaters and pescetarians too, there’s plenty on the menu for everyone.
Let me tell you a little more about Ceru with a note from the founder Barry Hilton:
“I have lost track of how many days and nights I have spent eating and drinking my way around the various countries that form the Levant. Encouraged by Levent Kayapehlivan who I met in a backstreet café near the Galata Bridge in Istanbul, I was inspired to create a flavour journey that provides an insight into the rich food heritage of the region. The menu at CERU uses authentic ingredients and cooking methods, but without the need to faithfully recreate well known dishes. It has been great fun — I hope you enjoy eating it, as much as I did creating it”.
What we had –
Homemade Lemonades, Apple, Cucumber & Mint
Rose Scented Kebab Skewers
Chicken Shish Taouk
Fried Halloumi & Grilled Red Peppers
Roasted Aubergine with Chermoula
Roasted Pumpkin
Spiced Warm Cauliflower & Walnut Salad
Crisp Apple, Mint & Pomegranate Salad
Dark Chocolate Mousse with Sour cherries & pistachio
The restaurants interior perfectly represents it’s Levant roots (The countries that form the Levant border the furthest eastern coastal shores of the Mediterranean and can loosely be described as the crossroads of Western Asia, Eastern Mediterranean, Northeast Africa and Northwest Arabia).
The interiors decoation is carefully curated with touches from the Levant woven through the tiles, fabrics creating layering of textures. The glasses are delicate, the colourful crockery and serving dishes are all sourced from the Eastern Mediterranean.
This may sound odd but you must see the bathroom, it is simply beautiful. I’ve included a snap of the sinks and the flooring – truly breathtaking and I highly recommend taking your phone in with you for a mirror selfie when paying a visit.
I will visit CERU again and take a group of friends too. It’s a place that you could never tire of.
7-9 Bute Street,
South Kensington,
London,
SW7 3EY
Thank you Ceru for having us, it was the perfect lunching spot between fashion shows.
photos by Lois and Amy
