Barzaari

Barzaari is a tribute to the cuisines of the East Mediterranean. It serves a mixed menu of modernised Cypriot, Lebanese, Greek and Turkish food.

Andrew Jordanou and Darryl Martin are behind it. Martin is a former Quay chef and Jordanou has spent time in the front of house. They are influenced by Martin’s wife, Gabby, and Jordanou’s grandfather, both of whom are from Cyprus.

The kitchen employs three old-school Cypriot tools: a rotisserie for marinated pork neck, lamb shoulder and sheftalia (a pork sausage wrapped in caul fat); a wood-fired oven for dukkah-coated prawns, oysters and fresh pita bread; and a pot filled with sand over a flame for traditional Cypriot coffee roasting (done this way the coffee is roasted from the sides as well as from the bottom).

Drinks follow a similar style. Sommelier Dennis Roman (Café Paci) mixes wines from Morocco, Romania and Lebanon with local naturals. The cocktails, designed by Finnish star Tomi Bjorck, offer either Eastern Mediterranean flavours or straight-shooting classics.

The fit-out, like the name (“Barzaari” is a Cypriot market where Jordanou’s grandpa used to sell his farm-grown produce), is inspired by the old world. But it looks less like a market than it does a refitted warehouse with a few old-school touches and trinkets.