Zer Middle East Kitchen is a welcoming restaurant at 13 Stoke Newington Road in Dalston. Rather than concentrating on one country, the menu travels through the Middle East and North Africa, drawing on Turkish, Persian, Syrian, Moroccan, Lebanese, Palestinian and Afghan ideas in dishes made for both sharing and individual meals.
Cold meze include hummus, tabbouleh, roasted pepper with walnut and feta, aubergine and walnut dip, beetroot tarator and samphire salad. Hot plates bring falafel, grilled halloumi, spinach pastry, prawns with garlic and tomato, Turkish sausage and lamb liver with pomegranate molasses, with mixed platters offering an easy introduction to several flavours.
Large plates include lamb tagine slowly cooked with dried fruit and aromatic spices, Persian herb stew with lamb and kidney beans, and meatballs balanced by sour cherries. Prawn tagine, Persian fish stew and chicken cooked in yoghurt add further regional combinations, while roast aubergine with zaatar, sumac and yoghurt provides a substantial meat free choice.
Vegetarian dishes extend to an Anatolian bowl of cracked wheat and chickpeas, bulgur dumplings in tomato sauce, stuffed cabbage and vegetable moussaka. Rice, bulgur, bread, pickles and shepherd’s salad complete the table. Baklava, semolina cake, rice pudding, sorbet, Turkish coffee and organic mountain tea provide traditional and refreshing finishes.
Address: 13 Stoke Newington Road, Dalston, London N16 8BH, United Kingdom