It takes something special to get me out of South West London for brunch. Something like Berber & Q, Josh Katz’s magnificent Middle Eastern barbecue mecca in Haggerston. Now, you should go along for the full dinner experience so that you can gorge on cauliflower shawarma to your heart’s content, but as it’s one of those no reservations jobbies, brunch is a less stressful option. Walking in at 12pm on a Sunday, our group of three was seated instantly, with room to spare.
The must order dish is The Full Israeli (for 2) – a seemingly endless tray of warm pitta, hummus, squash tahini, honeyed feta, Israeli salad, boiled eggs, avocado, tahini with za’atar, roasted beets, mixed olives, and two dessert pots of yoghurt & date syrup, plus Cay tea or Turkish coffee. It’s £12.50 per person, entirely vegetarian, and worth every penny!
Another veggie winner is the the Daily Pita (£8.50) – a traditional Israeli sabich with aubergine, pickled red onion, tahini, zhoug and herbs. In fact, Berber & Q brunch is a mostly meat-free affair, though in a couple of cases (The Turkish Eggs and the Green Shakshuka) sucuk sausage can be added.
Our third and final plate was the Chicken Sofrito Hash (£9.50), a smartly seasoned tin pan of chicken thighs, fried eggs, potato, swede, carrot, and rosemary. It was comforting and moreish, but severely lacking in chicken – there was crispy skin galore though if that’s your thing.
All in all, it was a super brunch – well worth the epic journey on our beloved orange line. If you like the look of it, you should also add The Good Egg and Street Kitchen London Fields in the same part of town to your to-do list.
