Antika Restaurant is a Persian and Mediterranean dining room at 4 Lauderdale Road in Maida Vale. The cosy neighbourhood setting combines traditional recipes with a polished presentation and is open from lunch into the evening every day. Its menu works particularly well for sharing, allowing the table to move from dips and salads into grills, rice dishes and slow cooked stews.
Cold and warm starters include smoked aubergine with herbs and yoghurt, stuffed vine leaves, truffle hummus, spinach borani and baba ganoush. Mirza Ghasemi combines smoked aubergine with egg, tomato and garlic, while Kashk e Bademjan adds mint, sour yoghurt, crisp onion and walnuts. Saffron prawns, scallops, calamari and lamb meatballs extend the selection beyond vegetables.
The grill prepares koobideh from minced lamb, joojeh from tender chicken and barg from marinated lamb fillet. Mixed platters bring several skewers together with grilled tomato, peppers and crisp saffron rice, making them practical for two or four guests. Lamb chops, grilled octopus and a vegetable plate of smoked aubergine add further choices from the fire.
Traditional stews include ghormeh sabzi with herbs, lamb, kidney beans and dried lime, and fesenjan with chicken, walnut and pomegranate. Gheymeh, okra stew, lamb shank, loobia polo and a saffron rice cake with chicken show other sides of Persian home cooking. Cocktails, wine, beer and alcohol free drinks complete a menu that balances charcoal, spice, fruit and slow cooking.
Address: 4 Lauderdale Road, Maida Vale, London W9 1LU, United Kingdom