Impala leaps on to the scene, with Meedu Saad’s debut bringing fresh energy to Soho
Chef Meedu Saad’s first solo restaurant draws on childhood trips to his father’s home in Egypt, his upbringing in north London, and travels through the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa. The result defies classification – a softly mystifying, tantalising place. Begin with aish baladi, a warm Egyptian bread It’s ideal for scooping up the garum and wild honey which pools beneath a lightly-cured turbot. There might be hot squid salad, monkfish wrapped in grape leaves, and Tamworth pork, held tight in caul fat and grilled over open flames that cast orange light across the dining room. We could go on. There’s a mighty dandelion salad, for example – have it with “bird’s tongue” pasta slowly braised in oxtail, after langoustine kibbeh. The food is mesmeric, the room full of candlelight, expert staff and the bracing sound of wine bottles being opened. Saad’s credentials are clear – ten years at Kiln – and, as part of Super8 (the group behind Brat, Smoking Goat and Mountain), there’s a quiet confidence to it all. Go now – it’s still just within reach, but gathering momentum, fast.
Words: Josh Barrie
