How about a trip to East London for a taste of the Middle East? Kenza, which means “treasure” in Arabic is a real treasure in a couple of ways. Firstly, it is indeed difficult to find in Devonshire Square, which resembles a little maze and I must say I had my eye on a number of other restaurants there. But once you find it prepare yourself for a feast of Arabic food or in my case overeating!
Glamour starts at the entrance: The door, which resembles an Ottoman palace gate, leads you down the stairs lit by beaded lamps and to the cocktail lounge area where you’ll be welcomed by your host. The booths for larger groups help give the place an authentic feel and the guests some privacy since you are less exposed to the other tables. You may even have a business dinner in one of these booths as some people were doing the other night. Exotic mezzes, impeccable service and belly dancers, can’t think of a better place to close a deal. By the way, yes, there are belly dancers. Not one, not two but three of them! We went on a Monday night, the show started a 7:30 pm. and lasted 20 minutes. I’m sure on Friday and Saturday nights they have a longer program. The dancers, as well as their costumes, were amazing and they were nice enough to ask me to dance with them when they saw me fidgeting in my seat finding it hard to resist the beat. Although it made me look a little like the old lady at the holiday resort who jumps to all the animations, I loved it!
All the shimmying and shaking got me hungry so I lost myself in the mezze menu. My all time favourite is Kibbé lahmé, four pieces of deep fried lamb & cracked wheat parcels filled with onions, minced meat & pine nuts for £6.00. You can choose among a good selection of hot and cold mezzes including Hommos with lamb cubes, Grilled Halloumi, Tabbouleh, Falafel and what not, then choose a main. My recommendation is the Kafta lahmé, grilled minced lamb meat with Arabic spices served on rice. Mains range between £16.00 to £22.00. It’s hard to say they have a rich wine list but they have a decent selection of French and Moroccon wines starting from £19.50. apart from the belly dancers, the best part is that food is half price for Taste London Card users so you can eat twice as much! If you still haven’t discovered the most beneficial card for a foodie, log on to this website.
I was glad to have shaken it up at the beginning of the night because I could barely walk at the end of it! Not alcohol, I was food drunk! I suspect that last piece of baklava made it worse. Mint tea got in the scene at this stage to help me out with digestion and make a fresh start! (just kidding, there was no fresh start!)
The food, the ambiance, the service, the belly dancers, everything tells me to revisit Kenza and my stomach tells me to go easy on the kafta next time.
Restaurant website
10 Devonshire Square
London EC2M 4YP
T: 0207 79295533
