After a string of successful pop-ups in London and festivals around the country, Ceru is set to open its first permanent site this December in South Kensington’s Bute Street.
We were invited to a sneak peek of the new menu at their testing kitchen in Bermondsey and had a great evening trying some of the dishes and meeting the team behind Ceru.
A contemporary Levantine restaurant, Ceru aims to serve dishes and drinks inspired by the flavours of the eastern Mediterranean coast. The dishes themselves are simple, but they are bursting with flavour.
We started with a welcome cocktail, a whiskey and chilli mix called Too Hot to Handle. Each cocktail is made with a fresh chilli so it’s a Russian roulette of spice – for a cold evening we’d certainly recommend this to warm you up quickly!
The menu consists of a selection of smaller plates designed for sharing between friends, they recommend three to four per person. The menu is very vegetarian friendly so Ceru would be a great option if you’re out with a mix of meat and non-meat eaters. Highlights for us included the courgette, feta and cumin fritters, sea bream, and slow roasted lamb shoulder marinated in 12 spices with a pomegranate molasses dressing. The lamb simply fell to pieces when touched with a fork – heaven! We would also heartily recommend the roasted, spiced cauliflower. Served with pomegranate, nuts, mint and more the textures and flavours of this dish were outstanding.
As well as new dishes created especially for the restaurant, some of the old favourites from Ceru pop ups will still be available. The crispy apple salad with mint, pomegranate, green chilli and roasted pine nuts is a bestseller and for good reason. Fresh and light, it makes a great accompaniment to the other dishes on offer.
If you have room for dessert, a chocolate mousse topped with crumbled pistachios (and with a hidden cherry surprise!) was simple and delicious. Or for fans of baklava try the Flavours of Baklava – almond brittle and cardamom ice cream, yum!
If you’re in South Kensington and looking for something a little different for dinner, pop into Ceru. They will also be offering express lunches for those who work in the area.
Ceru opens on 8th December on Bute Street, South Kensington.
cerurestaurants.com