Halal Restaurants in London can be difficult to locate. However Halal Middle Eastern and Lebanese restaurants are probably the most abundant.
One of these, and there are many, is Del’Aziz. In contrast to Amaya which was reviewed in the previous post, Del Aziz is part of an affordable chain of restaurants which can be located all across London.
The summarising factor about Del’Aziz is that although it can be seen as a niche Middle Eastern Restaurant, it still attempts to cover everything it possibly can within the field.
Del’Aziz restaurants are not just restaurants: each branch offers a bustling delicatessen and brassiere with fruits, chocolates and fresh pastries on display. This creates a relaxed marketplace atmosphere rather than that of a stuffy fine dining restaurant.
So what’s the food like? Well Del’Aziz serves a wide range of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. It caters for breakfast, mint tea and shisha breaks, leisurely lunches, as well as candle lit dinner parties. Each sitting has a slightly different menu but this extensive range does mean that within each sitting there isn’t a very large choice. For example, for dinner there only seem to be two vegetarian main meals. Their food is very specifically Middle Eastern and they don’t swerve away from this to accommodate picky eaters. It seems that by trying to cater to all dining options, the variety of food on offer within each sitting suffers.
I can’t boast that I’ve dined at Del Aziz for all the above sittings; I have had dinner there and despite the lack of a wide range of choice, the food is wholesome and nice. Yes nice, not amazing, mainly because there seems to be a lack of defining flavours which arise from the right blend of spices or that extra crowning herb that finishes off a dish.
Moving on to what some people would say is more important than the food, the price. Although not extortionate, I would say the cost doesn’t truly reflect the quality of the food. But as stated earlier, it’s not the food that you pay for. The average main meal for dinner will cost about £15 – £20 which is fine for the venue, although not superb value.
Despite this I would still recommend Del’Aziz to diners for the experience of it. This is because the decor and the atmosphere make up for the rest. Lined with chunky wooden tables, and the place has a buzzing atmosphere and crowd. This is added to by the fact that they also host live entertainment and music nights, though the times and dates for this are stated on their website, so can be avoided if desired.
So would I recommend this place to my readers? Yes. For the atmosphere and for the experience: it’s an especially good place to dine with large groups of people due to the large table and airy vibrant atmosphere. It also doesn’t cost too much so I would say it’s definitely worth paying for the experience even if you only go there once.
To find out more visit the Del Aziz Website:
http://www.delaziz.co.uk/
Snita SP has an avid interest in dining out. She currently works in Marketing in London.
Photo courtesy of www.delaziz.co.uk