In the one mile stretch from Marble Arch to Little Venice, there are almost 30 different Middle Eastern restaurants. How to choose? One crude, but often successful, metric might simply be to consider how busy are the venues. As a local, your reviewer was constantly struck by how full the Sarchnar Grill always appeared to be. Not only did it seem impossible to get a table, but often a queue would extend some way outside the restaurant. Good luck did eventually allow me and my dining comrade finally to secure a table on a recent weekday lunchtime. We were impressed but not wowed.
Similar to many other nearby locations, the interior is kept fairly basic; functional seating with only a limited acknowledgment of the Sarchnar’s roots (in this case, Iraqi). Service, however, could not be faulted. We were greeted effusively, shown to our table and before even being presented with menus, were provided with a courtesy bowl of soup. Although its contents were not described to us, it was rich, hearty and very comforting. Bread was brought – again unprompted – to the table fairly swiftly after. It was everything one could have asked for: light and airy, but toasted with a crunch, hailing most likely from a traditional flatbread oven.
The menu itself comprised a reasonably standard range of offerings for the Edgware Road: cold and hot mezze options followed by – and the clue is in the name – a range of grilled meats. Vegetarians are served well in respect of the former, but those after a more substantial hot main may be disappointed. Across the table, were selected a selection of mezze (some pictured). The hummus – a fluffy and creamy rendering of pureed chickpeas here – was a delight. Baba ganoush, despite its beautiful presentation, did not quite hit the same mark in terms of either flavour or depth. Again, it was a pleasing surprise to be brought several offerings on the house. A small dish of smoked aubergine in a tomato sauce was a pungent stand-out, while pickles also pleased. For my main, I opted for a pair of grilled skewers of lamb’s livers. They were good but not great. One might have hoped for more based on the venue’s supposed grilling prowess.
With so many other places from which to use, there would be no immediate need to rush back to Sarchnar, particularly given the potential pain of having to queue. The quest remains to find a truly outstanding local Middle Eastern venue. Bring back the now-shut and much-missed original Beirut Express. Word to the wise re Sarchnar: they only accept cash, so come prepared.