Review of Yalla Yalla Oxford Circus - Dec 2010

Where: Yalla Yalla, Winsley Street (literally just off Oxford Street... opposite Poland Street)
With who: Ed Hitter (and then the Queen of Harrogate the following day... sucker that I am for a good local lunch spot)
How much: £22 for a good amount of lunchtime mezze.
Come here if: you want a decent authentic feed just off Oxford Circus


I didn't know whether to be excited or trepidatious when somewhere I love, especially somewhere so small, quirky and seemingly unchainable opens another branch. The original Yalla Yalla only opened a year or so ago on a tiny anonymous (and slightly pissy if we're honest) alley just off Brewer Street. It became a favourite for lunch, if slightly far away and always too crowded to sit down. They some very clever things with a bit of lamb, a few sesame seeds and some very good flatbread. Homely, authentic and very down to earth, it certainly didn't have Global Resto Megachain written all over it.
The closure of our local greasy spoon wasn't a cause for much mourning, cheap and a little scuzzy, it was never more than a last resort lunch spot. The surprise came with the news that Yalla Yalla was going up in the world, and expanding. It's certainly got more space than the original. They've still got the same menu of authentic Beirut street food, though have expanded this to include a few larger dishes. 

On both occasions (twice in two days, but working lunches doesn't count as proper calories) we went for sets of mezze to share. Tart pickled turnip (a proper revelation), olives and peppers came as we sat, the food freshly cooked and shortly afterwards. Hommos (sic) came with moreish juicy lumps of lamb, melting with crisp burnished edges from the hefty elephantine leg of meat rotating round the grill. This is how sheep hope their babies end up and as far from your local 'bab house as you can get. The same lamb features with a lemon parsley salad as a main course and packing their (perfect for takeaway) rolls. Grilled pitta stuffed with spicy minced lamb came topped with tahini and pomegranate, a princely portion for £4.25. The other entrant in the 'can't believe they can do that good for that cheap' category was a huge portion of deep fried prawns, whitebait and calamari, well cooked, well spiced and well cheap (sorry. Really...) for £5.50. There's not much I wouldn't go back for to be honest. And it's round the corner from my office, so I will, soon.  


The slightly claustrophobic feel of the Green Court original has gone, banished by wide spaces, though thankfully many of the more pleasing, rustic touches remain. Bench seating, dotted in places with throws and cushions, goes well with the thickset oak furniture. The staff are keen, possibly too keen, but you can't fault them for that. Genuinely eager to please, four of them checking on how the meal was going may have been a little OTT, no matter how much they meant it. It's a genuinely promising place for lunch, perfect for shoppers and Soho workers unable or unwilling to get to Charlotte Street. 

Review of Vapiano - June 2010

Where: Vapiano, Oxford Circus
With whom: Various colleagues
How much?: A range of fresh pizza, pasta and salads, generally £8-£10 with drinks
Vapiano is an institution in the US, the Middle East and mainland Europe, and it appears we're a little slow to get the franchise. The first London outpost appears slightly belatedly in the scheme of things, there are already 35 in Germany and assorted other global outposts from Sweden to the UAE. 
It's a simple enough concept. You order a range of Italian food from different counters along the walls. The counters surround a central section of tables. You get given a buzzer that goes off when your food is ready for you to collect. So far so blah... 

The styling is clean and refreshing. It feels a little like an upmarket shopping centre food court, but in a good way. The staff are friendly, polite and unobtrusive (not surprising considering you do everything yourself). Sadly though the food is little better than alright. It's fresh certainly, something they highlight with the pots of basil sitting on every table and they don't start cooking or preparing until you arrive at the counter so everything is cooked to order. On the last visit I went for the Diavolo pizza, a spicy, less than authentic combination of Italian sausage, peppers and red onions. It was fine, though nothing special. The dough was fairly tasteless and the topping needed the additional zing of a spoon of chilli flakes. Another irritating niggle, I got it fast, but it hadn't been left in the oven for long enough (or more likely the oven was cooler than their timings were set for) and the dough was still a little too soft in the centre. 
It's a passible option (and better than most chain restaurants in central London) but we're not exactly short of upmarket pizza / pasta chains in this country,so I do struggle to see the differentiation between Vapiano and the more established Pizza Express, Ask or Strada chains. It doesn't strive for an authentic menu and other than being close to the office and big enough to guarantee a table I don't think that the 'innovation' of letting me collect my own pizza will be forcing me back for a repeat visit.