Ceru – South Kensington

Ceru confidentally declares its ethos in bold, yellow writing, printed across the dark blue awnings outside, as: “Share the flavours of the Levant.”

And it’s this part of the world that clearly inspires both the interior decor and the restaurant’s chocolate, yellow and ivory colour scheme.

With Moroccan-inspired, low hanging ceiling shades casting warm atmospheric shadows across the walls and ceiling, along with the clever use of those all-too-familiar geometric patterns from said region, Ceru really is a cosy little place to spend time in.

Having only opened in December last year, however, the inevitable question we had going in was whether it was still early days for them.

Lemonade & Virgin MaryHomemade Lemonades

Apple Mojito £4.25 (left), Virgin Mary £4.00 (right)

The major draw back with the Apple Mojito was that not only was the mint far too weak, but its key component – the apple – far too insipid. Further still, in the absence of any crushed ice, this ultimately tasted like apple squash!

In comparison, albeit not much of one, the thick tomato base of the Virgin Mary managed to deliver that familiar hot peppery kick of Tabasco coupled with the sharp tone of Worcestershire sauce. Quite soothing!

Lemon & Blackcurrent (left), Honey & Basil (right), £3.50 each

These bottled drinks were very satisfying with clean, well balanced flavours.

While the fruitiness of the latter dominated the Lemon & Blackcurrent, the sweetness of the former came through subtly in the Honey & Basil.

Ceru Kahvalti – Merguez sausages with baked eggs in aspicy tomato sauce & pogaca bread £9.75

Breakfasts at Ceru are served on weekdays between 8am—11.30am and on weekends between 9am—midday.

On paper, the Kahvalti sounded mouthwateringly divine, with Merguez sausages and baked eggs in a spicy tomato sauce accompanied by pogaca bread.

Alas, it didn’t quite live up to expectations. The first and most obvious shortcoming, and one that’s entirely apparent from the above image, were the overdone sausages – shrivelled in appearance and, consequently, fairly chewy. And while these were also heavily salted, the delicately spiced, tangy tomato sauce did manage to sufficiently neutralise said seasoning.

Having said that though, the eggs, similar to the sausages, were well over done. In the end, a mere minute, if that, separated a perfectly cooked breakfast from the one we were served.

The pogaca bread, on the other hand, while denser than expected, was good for dipping and scooping up the tomato sauce.

Shish Taouk – Paprika and lemon marinated grilled chicken breast, with a herb yoghurt £8

Though the chicken shish was well cooked, with deep, dark griddle marks across the sides, the flavourless yoghurt base did little to dissipate the harsh marination that annoyingly lingered at the back of the throat.

Rose Scented Kebab Skewers – Grilled marinated cubes of lamb leg with a rose petal and mint tzatziki £9.50

Similarly, while the rose came through subtly with these scented kebab skewers, and while they were again well charred, they still turned out to be a little chewy and dry.

Additionally, they desperately needed a marination strong enough to complement the sharp mintiness of what was a decent tzatziki base.

Persian Kafta – spiced beef patties served with edamame beans, caramelised onion and a tarator sauce £8.50

In terms of flavour, then this Persian Kafta was far better than the previous two dishes in this section.

The familiar charring ensured that the spices on the outside were distinctly stronger than those incorporated within the soft, tender interior.

Not only were these meatballs, thus, beautifully fragrant and aromatic, but went really well with both the sweetness of the caramelised onions and the tangy coolness of the fresh tarator sauce.

Lamb Shoulder – Slow roasted for 5 hours in our secret blend of 12 Shawarma spices, with a pomegranate, fresh mint and pistachio sauce £10

Certainly slow roasted alright!

Though a little dry, this extremely flaky and well marinated piece of lamb shoulder had a spicy-tangy glaze which needed the sweet burst of the pomegranates to make this a tasty eat.

Fillet of Sea Bream – with a warm lemon dressing, fried garlic, oregano & red chilli £9.50

This Fillet of Sea Bream was the dish of the evening for all three us.

Absolute perfection in terms of cooking: positively flaking away at the merest of touches. Moist and watery, this level of cookery makes you appreciate a well cooked piece of fish.

With just the right level of chilli and seasoning to it, we enjoyed this immensely.

Karides – whole grilled garlic prawns with a dried lime & coriander labneh £9

With the hint of garlic, the tart yoghurt was simply far to overpowering for these soft, succulent and subtly flavoured prawns.

Roasted Aubergine with Chermoula – with a herb yoghurt and lohz £4.50

This was different, with good all round textures and flavours too.

The softness of the aubergines married well with the assortment of the earthy nuts and the fresh dabs of herby yoghurt.

Fried Halloumi & Grilled Red Peppers – with a harissa dressing £6.50

Really wanted to enjoy this dish; just sounded so good on paper.

But, when the Haloumi comes out slightly overdone, and thus fairly tough (described by one Lion as “alsmost tast[ing] recooked”), you know you’re in trouble.

Otherwise, it tasted good enough with the cheesy Halloumi going well with the beautifully charred and sweet red peppers along with the harrissa sauce.

DipsSidesSaladBread

Houmous £4 (middle)  •  Fadi £5.50 Roasted courgette, yoghurt, lemon and tahini (left) £5.50  •  Pancar £5 (right)

A smooth, well made Houmous with a lemony background.

The Fadi too had a good squeeze of lemon to it, and a strange yet challenging earthy taste. Not quite!

And if the Fadi was strange, the grainy beetroot Pancar paste with its sweet aftertaste was even more so.

Orez Ceru – Arabic scented fried rice with crispy onions, sultanas & parsley £4  •  Spice Roasted Potatoes £3.50

Really enjoyed the small bowl of the beautifully fragrant Orez Ceru. The coriander provided that freshness, while the sweetness of the sultana married well with the delicate spices therein.

As for the Roasted Potatoes, then it too was mildly spiced, and soft on the inside.

Crisp Apple, Mint & Pomegranate Salad – with pea shoots, roasted pine nuts and green chilli £6.50

Sadly a disparate assortment of ingredients that simply didn’t come together as a coherent bowl.

Fresh Baked Green Pita Bread £1.50

Freshly baked indeed – well dusted and crispy.

Dark Chocolate Mousse £4.50

This smartly presented dainty dessert was quite delightful.

Topped with a layer of crushed pistachios, the bitterness of the velvety dark chocolate mouse was well tempered by the fruitiness of the cherry bits therein.

Flavours of Baklava £5.25

Hands down the best of the trio of desserts had on the night.

This deconstructed Baklava consisted of a peanut brittle resting beside two scoops of cardamom ice cream with honey drizzled on the outside and sugar crumble sprinkled on top.

Ultimately, it was the subtle sweetness of the runny honey combined with the heady addictiveness of the light cardamom ice cream that set this up for high praise. And though the candy peanut brittle provided textural variation and a playful element, the delicate crumble of sugar married far better with the dessert’s overall composition.

RECOMMENDED!

Spice Roasted Pears £5.50

This final dessert, however, split the crowd like no other. And such was the disagreement, that there was virtually no compromise to be found even after an intense to and fro.

While one Lion considered these Spice Roasted Pears to be “beautifully soft, poached pears whose spicy fruitiness combines well with the yoghurt”, another detested it to the point of claiming it “tastes like Nivea face cream”! The remaining reviewer wasn’t too impressed either.

Make of that what you will!

Signature Turkish Apple Tea £2.00, Fresh Mint Tea £2.50

We ended the evening with two types of teas: your standard Fresh Mint Tea, and the one we’d recommend any day of the week: the Signature Turkish Apple Tea.

The strong, soothing scent of apple was such that you could sit their clasping ahold of that hot cup, and enhaling that apple aroma forever. The perfect conclusion!