Le Bab

Kingly Court, off Carnaby Street, is a fantastically charismatic area in Soho full of restaurants. Tucked in the corner of the top floor one can find 'Le Bab'. The restaurant has revamped and revived the humble kebab, using seasonal produce. 

To start we ordered the Lokma and the Scotch Kofte. The Lokma was a light doughnut filled with a liver mouse. The doughnuts were glazed with a sweet syrup. The flavours and textures worked so well. The doughnuts were not greasy. The combination of savoury and sweet worked well. A few restaurants have turned to savoury and sweet doughnut - such as The Chiltern Firehouse's crab doughnuts and The Duck and Waffle's pork cheek doughnuts. Out of all three, I have to eat that Le Bab's were the best. 

Unfortunately the same could not been said for the Scotch Kofte. The dish was a scotch egg coated in a kofte kebab meat. I love (not an exaggeration) scotch eggs. Whilst the eggs were cooked well with a nice runny yolk, credit where credit is due, the meat disappointed. Under seasoned and excess oil made it quite unpleasant in all honesty. I would not recommend it. 

Lokma (front) and Kofte (rear)

There were several kebabs to choose from and we ordered the chicken and the pork ones. They are served open on a freshly baked flatbreads so you can see the precisely arranged ingredients. Both kebabs were beatifully seasoned. The meat was tender and each ingredient added another element of texture and flavour. When you roll the kebab up and take a bite, all the flavours work so well. It was a sheer delight to eat. The chicken kebab used crisps to add crunch, pickled turnips for acidity, fresh salad and honey in the toum (a garlic sauce) provided sweetness. The pork kebab was served with crispy pork crackling, tart tangy pickle, grilled spring onion for freshness, and two wonderfully creamy sauces - a flavoured mayonnaise and a broccoli purée. Both were delightful but if I had to recommend only one, I'd have to pick the pork. This is why you have to go with people who like sharing - you'll get the best of both worlds!

Chicken Kebab

Pork Kebab

Le Bab have confidently opted to only serve one option for pudding, a yoghurt panna cotta. As with all of Le Bab's food - it looks great. A layer of vibrant green mint jelly on top of a yoghurt and cucumber panna cotta was surrounded by sweet granola. The dish reminded me of tszatziki, which is lovely but not really what you want for dessert. The jelly was heavy and not sweet enough. The texture of the panna cotta was odd given the grated cucumber running through it. Unsurprisingly I did not think that the whole dish came together. It was too evocative of something I would get from a health shop - it lacked the indulgence and sweetness that I want from a pudding.

Panna Cotta

The service was good and the ambience is lovely. Come for the kebabs as the rest of the menu is a little bit of a mixed bag.

Le Bab
Rating: 6.5/10
www.eatlebab.com
020 7439 9220

Top Floor, Kingly Court, Carnaby Street, London, W1B 5PW