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It's not going to blow you away with its molecular wit, painstaking technique or dude food filthiness. But it's food you'd always be happy to eat
Those of you who don't live in London might be happily unaware of the things that get the capital's restaurant-goers in a froth. When I find myself panicking that I haven't made it to the latest rare breed mini-burger joint underneath a car park and staffed by resting sculptors, I wish I were, too.
Perhaps that's why I keep going back to Honey & Co, a little daytime-only cafe-bistro in louche old Fitzrovia. There's not a gimmick in sight; they even – gasp – take bookings. If you don't count the shelves of homemade spice mixes, granolas and jewel-coloured jars of plum, greengage or fig jam, there's little by way of decoration other than a beautifully tiled floor. Oh, and cakes – cakes of utter loveliness. Who needs witty little pencil drawings when you have cakestands groaning with appallingly good chocolate and hazelnut loaf, tiny lemon and saffron sponges glistening with syrup, or the Fitzrovia bun, a play on the Chelsea number, sticky, squelchy and packed with pistachios and sour cherries?
These are the work of Sarit Packer, the wife of Itamar Srulovich, who together are Honey & Co. His Twitter profile says, "Chef, cooking village food with my honey (wife) in our Middle Eastern diner": aww, sweet. In fact, it's all sweet: tables are set with paper runners, nicely chosen wines are poured into fragile Spanish tumblers and staff – especially tiny, cheery Chelsea – are delightful. Srulovich, a bear-like charmer with sparkling blue eyes, occasionally delivers the food himself.
It's the kind of stuff you'd love to dish up to your pals and bask in the resulting praise; maybe that's why he likes working the floor. Meze – a bijou, daily-changing selection of five – might deliver saffron-and-citrus-scented potato salad, or silky, homemade hummus (so much is made daily in the minuscule kitchen, it's dazzling: flaky borek, pitta, those twinkling preserves); cool, creamy labneh with radishes sprinkled with za'atar or gently spiced pumpkin purée. There are falafel, Yemeni-style, packed with herbs and a whiff of cardamom, their texture fluffy and nubbly. They look burnt, but when swooped through their tahini dip, they're some of the best I've tasted.
Lamb is cooked overnight at the lowest of heats and served with plums and a confetti of rose petals, with couscous for soaking up the aromatic juices. I've tried chicken, its skin almost toffeed from blasting pomegranate molasses at high heat, freshened with mint leaves; and with maftoul (giant Israeli couscous), perfectly ripe tomatoes and what tastes like newly-made feta. The detail is impressive: there's cult Kressi vinegar in salads, and pistachios have a rare, clean crunch.
None of this is going to blow you away with its molecular wit, painstaking technique or dude food filthiness. But it's food you would always be happy to eat. If you're a regular reader of Weekend, it might sound familiar: both Packer and Srulovich have worked with Yotam Ottolenghi, sharing his love for assemblies bursting with fresh, palate-tingling flavours. It's light and, yes, pretty: I picture Srulovich on tiptoes in his tiny kingdom (you can peer in when you visit the quaint outside loo), scattering rose petals over pastry as delicate as a fairy's suspender belt. Order cheesecake and what arrives is like Jerusalem's kanafeh deconstructed: thick cream cheese, denser and tangier than ricotta or mascarpone (they make some of their own cheeses and if this is one, it's a doozy), dotted with pistachios and sweetened with Regent's Park honey on a disc of brittle pastry threads. It's so much more than the sum of its parts – a bit like Honey & Co itself.
Word has already spread and the place has become cramped and oversubscribed. This review isn't going to help – sorry – but their grace and energy means they pull it off. What a radical formula this is: good food, friendly service, decent prices – plus, there's not a filament lightbulb in sight. Who knows: it might just catch on.
• Honey & Co, 25a Warren Street, London W1, 020-7388 6175. Open all week, 7.30am-7pm. Three-course meal with drinks and service, around £30 a head.
Food 7/10
Atmosphere 6/10
Value for money 8/10
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