OREN — Restaurant in London

This place was probably the best restaurant I have been to so far this year!

I came for my birthday celebration with a group of friends having made a reservation prior as their online system doesn't accommodate a party size bigger than 6 people. It's all done smoothly and quickly over email and we got a nice wide table right next to the entrance and the open windows.

For starters, we went for the small plates to share and some flatbread on the side. Wow, the hummus was so creamy and smooth and the different tomato dips were such a pleasant surprises! They went incredibly well with the freshly baked soft and fluffy flatbread and it's honestly the best Levantine food I have had in a while. We were certainly off to a great start!

For mains, we went for a variety of things to share and got the octopus, Jerusalem mix grill, lamb with sweetbreads and za'atar, two of the tomato and peach salad, pork chop, grilled courgette and some roasted potatoes on the side. Literally everything tasted amazing and everyone enjoyed the food so much we were all basically food-moaning the entire time. We all agreed that the pork chop has got to be the absolute winner of the entire meal. It's so juicy, tender and it melted in my mouth I didn't even have to chew the meat much! The garlic went so well with the meat it completely elevated the flavour profile and totally gave that umami in my mouth. The one main dish that was just so slightly disappointing was the octopus as it didn't offer a great surprise or anything. It's mild and pleasant but not something that 'wow'ed us. One thing that did 'wow' us was the tomato and peach salad. It was so refreshing that we ordered a second portion because we just couldn't get enough of it! It's also good to see that they had many vegetarian options as one of my friends was veggie and she didn't struggle ordering food and had genuinely enjoyed the food with us.

For dessert, we went for everything on the menu apart from the alcohol and once again the desserts were executed perfectly. We were so so impressed with the chocolate mousse and the labneh panna cotta. Mousse was so rich and nutty with the crunchy hazelnut on top to add a level to the texture and it's not too sweet, super duper moreish and we kept going back for more. The panna cotta was so interesting because it's made with labneh so it tasted basically like a cheesecake although you could also taste that gelatin texture at the same time which was impressive and very delicious with the apricot. Strawberry sorbet was always going to be a safe choice and it didn't disappoint at all.

Service was fab throughout our time there, attentive staff who maintained their professionalism the whole night serving an absolute jam-packed restaurant. We thoroughly enjoyed our time here and we all agreed that this was an all-around fantastic restaurant where it's perfect from start to finish. I will definitely be revisiting this place very soon as they change their menu everyday (I think) so I would love to see what's their winter menus...

Where do I start !!

This is part 1 review … as I’ll defo be back!!

Soo I saw the reviews online and it looked similar-ish to Manteca HOWEVER… this jewel of a restaurant is BETTER and I do love me some Manteca but this restaurant’s is more detailed aswell as a little bit more personal than as opposed to commercial get them in and get them out .

Walked in off the road and immorality let me know , may not get a table however we can place you at the bar 😊, lovely and informative.

Set menu as was a Sunday and for £38 I mean you can’t go wrong , I even think it’s a little bit cheap, please do factor in the drinks as typical bill for 1 was £80.

Starters - nice simple bread with home made spreads , hummus and then a lovely cheese spread of some sort with sesame seeds aswell as home made ciabtta bread bread

Aswell as mussels and some salad

Mains-

Beautiful sliced thick pieces of lamb which had been sliced off the bone (leg of lamb I think) which was cooked in a sauce to die for complimented with brown rice,lentils and yoghurt (mixed and it was fabulous)

Desert - home made white peach sorbet with a hint of vodka (which you can’t taste the vodka at all) , only 2 scoops needed .

Drinks - try the non-alcoholic drink ( forgot the name - something spicy or another but it’s defo non alcoholic and has a lychee colour look to it ) it has a red pepper on the top

SPECIAL thanks to Marilla- she really made me feel welcome - from the first moment she saw me walk through the door to the very final end of when I left she really really really made me feel welcome aswell as giving good advice and being informative . The other two ladies I didn’t feel as welcomed by - not sure if they were focusing on others or what not but I didnt feel welcome until half way through my meal once they maybe knew I was ok and I really feel like that was down to marilla so I thank you as it’s never easy being me especially in the way I present myself (not being dressed formerly, still wearing work clothes) for a 3pm afternoon service . Never the less by the end of my meal I felt very comfortable and really really really full which isn’t healthy however I don’t feel this full everyday so I guess I’m allowed .

Also thank you to the team who made everything possible MARILLA , Lisa , liri, oded, badara , giuliano I know we all never spoke however I saw the work being done to make the whole experience come together .

Can wait for...

I’ve been thinking for a couple of days now and finally decided it was worth writing this review. I just don’t think Oren is that good. The servers are great. The vibes are alright. But this is a restaurant and the food just doesn’t hit the mark, especially for the price.

I see what they’re trying to do, I appreciate the cuisine, and I understand that seasons and menus change – but it just consistently doesn’t land. I’ve been here before, but for reference, this review is based on my most recent visit in May 2024.

Honestly, the food is just kind of … meh? I mean, there’s “leaning into subtle flavors” and “elevating mundane dishes” and then there’s what Oren actually does: boring, unimaginative dishes, executed with at best moderate success. It’s just not that interesting.

The highlights largely rely on high-quality basic ingredients that are left alone and allowed to shine (like the tartare, where the fish and the roe are so high quality they’d elevate a stale wheat cracker). But things like the crispy red mullet – a tiny piece of overconfident battered fish – come off weird. It’s just not that special, it’s not particularly innovative, it tastes like nothing in particular, and costs £16 all the same. The chicken is nice (again, it’s just good chicken) but the accompanying sauce is so boring you might just get annoyed at the poor bird.

The cocktails are a hit and miss. I liked their Manhattan variation. The tequila old fashioned was forgettable.

This isn’t a bad restaurant, it’s a whatever restaurant. But sorry, at £70-80 a head for a light (!) dinner I simply reserve the right to...