.It’s quite a while since we last ate here. It’s not that we’ve fallen out of love with the place. Actually, the complete opposite. It’s just that Yara has become our favourite for home delivery through Deliveroo or Just Eat. It’s food that seems to travel better than some other cuisines. But it was time to revisit. Middle Eastern is our favourite “foreign” food” and Yara is the best place I know for it in the area. Consistently good, with excellent service. We ordered as we usually do – several starters and one main course to share between the two of us, asking for it all to come together so we could eat it as a mezze.
There was muhammara, the red pepper and walnut dip that has a sweetness from the peppers and texture from the crushed walnuts. I don’t recall it from the past but there’s also a kick from chilli and it’s all the better for it. Makmour is also a sort of dip, although one with more substance. There’s long cooked aubergine, onion and tomato. Yara’s is the best version I know – simply delicious. We also ordered vine leaves stuffed with rice and onion and zingy from the lemon and olive oil dressing. And, finally, from the starter menu, a crisp and fresh fattoush salad. The main course (which actually arrived in advance of the other items and for which an apology was offered for the delay with the other dishes) was makloubeh – the “upside down” rice dish layered with aubergine and lamb. It comes with a yogurt and cucumber sauce – quite sour yoghurt and pieces of cucumber big enough to give a bit of crunch. Really lovely.
