The Barbary — Restaurant in London

Finally tried the actual The Barbary because last time I had booked the one literally called "The Barbary Next Door" thinking I had got the right one! So happy to have tried both places now and would highly recommend this one because the menu is just amazing.

We had made a reservation prior and you have to do so because it's too popular to cater for walk-ins. We went there at 5pm on Saturday before a musical and it was packed! Sat down at the bar and it was cool to be able to see how the chefs made all the dips, fried bread and grilled meat and veggies.

We went with the Jerusalem bagel, hummus, za'aluk, labneh and cauliflower Jaffa style, and then my friend ordered grilled halloumi and Moroccan cigars for herself. The dips were fantastic, hummus was of the smooth consistency we both enjoy and nutty, za'aluk had such a nice kick with the tomato and definitely stimulated our appetites more and the bagel was fried on the spot and hotly served to us, the sesame made it fun to eat and the bread was fluffy and soft with the sesame adding more texture to it (we even ordered a second bagel to finish all the sauces and dips!). Cauliflower was so smoky and we couldn't stop eating the sauce! I tried a bite of my friend's Moroccan cigars and it was great - I love anything that's deep fried and they were served once again freshly deep fried and super hot and the white fish inside was marinated perfectly with a very small hint of spice. Grilled halloumi was the only let-down of our entire meal as it was way too salty and my friend didn't finish it.

Staff were all very friendly and attentive, explained the menu to us and advised on how to order. I think it really depends on how much you can eat normally and how hungry you feel at the moment, because she had advised that we hadn't ordered enough with just the dips and 2 veggie mains but she was wrong because the dips, especially the hummus really filled us up. And obviously her job was to advertise the food to make customers spend more so just bear that in mind when you are there.

I really loved the vibe of the place, intimate yet cozy at the same time. It's perfect for all kinds of occasions, dates, meeting up with friends or families. But it's definitely not for big groups since it's only bar/ high chair seatings and I don't think they take party sizes bigger than 4 people.

Overall, I had a fantastic time here and would love to come back soon. This has easily become one of my top 3 Mediterranean/ Middle Eastern places in London and I know I will...

Let Down by Poor Hygiene in Prep/Serving Food

Overall rating 2/5

Hygiene 0/5 (see details below) Atmosphere 3 (the bar seating is fun, but was let down by the hygiene issues) Food 2/5 (deducted 2 points for hygiene issues) Friendliness 4/5 (staff were polite and attentive)

This was a real disappointment in the hygiene department, I really wanted to like The Barbary (especially as it came highly recommended by a friend).

I had the misfortune of having a front row seat to witness all the poor hygiene issues in the food preparation and severing department. Frankly, I am surprised others have not picked up on this in the comments section - though to be fair I probably had among the best seats to watch everything, even peak inside the back kitchen doors occasionally. From seeing one of the chiefs scratching his backside and then continuing to cook and touch our food and serve it with those same unwashed hands (without taking a break to the back-kitchen, where I presume there may be a sink to wash one’s hands), to none of the chefs washing their hands after touching other items. NOTE, I rarely saw tongs or other utensils used to remove things from the containers, it was almost always bare hand (which I would be fine with except there was no effort in the hygiene department). I also saw a container for creme for our dessert being opened and the chief bending down to grab something and his hair touching the tub of creme that was opened in the process. I feel these are all basic hygiene issues even a untrained cook (such as I) know better than to open a tub of food and then bring my face and hair right up to it. The lid could have easily been put back on instead and chief bent down to avoid the issue all together. These are just a few of the instances I saw…

This may be among the most egregious hygiene issues I have seen out in the open. I admit I do not typically make an effort to review/share ratings of places I visit, but after witnessing what I did yesterday, I felt compelled to share my experience here.

The food was OK, but I will not be returning again considering...

Whoever thought of this business model is a genius. £144 for two people for 55 minutes and some grilled food. The three stars is a bit harsh but reflects the price to value of this restaurant. At half the price, I think it would be four stars. Have to agree with some of the other reviewers that the food lacks variety. Yoghurt is prominently on display in three of the dishes I had. When you include Service £12 for a half a courgette does seem extortionate. Again when you consider Service, £34.50 for a pork kebab is a bit greedy. The price of gas has gone up on those grills but I did get the feeling that this place is firmly targeted at American tourists who are reading their reviews in the same place. Definitely not a tourist trap along the lines of a steakhouse that will go nameless but I did wonder if we were the only Londoners. Service was very nice although, I was twice asked to order everything at once. Asked me once and when I say it’s OK I’ll take my time no problem. Asked me twice and you are being pushy. The modus operandi is very obvious here. Quick turnaround. At £144 for two people, that’s without a bottle of wine and no dessert, I reckon they could get three or four sittings. Decent wine list but frankly I don’t know what represents good value for 125 mL of wine which is what you get by the glass. Although curiously this isn’t marked on the menu. Final point, this place has a Spanish feel and whenever some of the staff wanted to comment on some of the customers they turn to Spanish. Be careful some people may speak Spanish and not have an accent. Charging these prices is just poor value but given the turnover I witnessed I don’t think these owners have anything to...