Nanerj (Damascene Cuisine) – Edgware Road, London

Permanently Closed

The name Nanerj (also spelled Naranj), is taken from a Middle Eastern fruit, originally from Iran, that looks much like an orange.

Known as the “King of the Citrus” for its distinct sour taste, a nanerj is often used as a substitute for limes and lemons in fish and other dishes.

And with this citrus cleverly incorporated into its logo, Nanerj, as with most restaurants up and down this famous stretch of road, also offers tables.

Unsurprisingly, while shisha is, therefore, an inevitable consequence, what paradoxically separates this place from much of the competition is that it’s entirely alcohol-free.

With a capacity of 50 indoors, and around 10 outside, the restaurant is bright and airy, with the interior decor revolving around an obvious Middle Eastern vibe.

Complementary bread

What a brilliant way to start a meal: hot, freshly baked complementary bread; and the only restaurant on said street, that we know of, that has its own bakery.

This along with cold starters goes down a treat.

Hommos – Chickpeas puree with sesame paste tahine and lemon juice, £5

A great hommos, with enough tahine and lemon juice to make this an enjoyable experience on its own.

Moutabal – Grilled aubergine puree mixed with sesame paste tahine, and lemon juice, £5.50

The grilled aubergine was good without being great. A textured moutabel paste was helped by the sweet burst of flavour delivered by the pomegranates.

And don’t think the mint leaves are just there as a pretty garnish; they are of course, but they also add that minty freshness to the dish.

Nakanek – Mini sausage flambeed with butter and lemon, £6.50

Nakanek (also known as makanek) are mini spiced sausages. The underlying sauce was full of lemon juice.

The sausage itself, however, was horrible! Over cooked with a crispy outer shall and an ultra-firm interior.

As for the taste, then it was bitter. In fact, we asked for the mini sausage from the sandwich-wrap section, but got the latter. Live and learn the hard way!

Kastaleta Lamb – Prepared lamb cutlets, grilled, and served with French fries, £15

Wow; these on the other hand were something else. Thick and juicy, these Kastaleta Lamb cutlets were cooked to medium well, and subtly flavoured enough to allow for the natural meaty taste to shine through.

Having said that though, the accompanying fries just seemed out of place. And at £15, we would expect a little more in terms of volume from a main course.

Kafta Meshwi – Charcoal grilled skewers of minced lamb with onion and parsley, £14

The kafta was not over cooked meaning that it was moist throughout. But, it could have done with more spice as it was a little bland.

But again at £14, and with a measly three kaftas barely enjoying the company of the standard condiments, this seemed closer to the size of a starter than a main.

Fresh Lemon £4

Not many drink options available here. The fresh lemon was certainly fresh, eye-squintingly so! But, rather have more than less, no?