Eastern Med meets Mayfair at Roy Ner’s stunning restaurant
Israeli chef is hitting the sweet spot at Jeru
Louisa Walters is Features Editor at the Jewish News and specialises in food and travel writing
Roy Ner spent 18 years working in Sydney, where he was awarded several Michelin stars for his innovative, inspired cooking and then, luckily for us, he brought his brilliance to London – to Mayfair, in fact, where relaxed, informal and Middle Eastern have never been a thing – until now. Jeru styles itself as ‘Eastern Mediterranean’, which is perhaps a more refined take on the genre, as befits the location.
I first visited this absolutely gorgeous restaurant, with its glamorous Moroccan-style interior with oversized flower chandelier, pretty lights and lots of ceramics and stone, a year ago when it had just opened. The only downside on that trip was that the onsite bakery had not yet opened – so I missed out on wood-fired potato bread, served with truffled honey and miso butter. Warning: one portion is not enough! But you must leave room for indulgent, creamy halloumi doughnuts – by now a signature dish – and chargrilled aubergine with peppers, tahini and mint salsa.
On the leaner side there’s a lovely citrussy tuna ceviche with orange and tamarind dressing and a spectacular platter of cured meats, but then we headed into chicken shawarma bites, and roasted aubergine with macadamia dukkah and smoked mint tahini. And then… a stunning tender steak cut into bite sized chunks with crispy potatoes and a delicious cheesy lettuce salad.
Dessert choices are limited but you want them all – caramel chocolate ice-cream bar, pistachio baklava with pistachio ice cream and a really pretty plate of different-coloured sorbets. I prefaced my Lebanese white wine from the stunning glass-fronted wine room with a vodka, lychee, hibiscus and rose ‘Mayfair Lady’ cocktail because, after all, when dining in these parts that’s exactly what I am!
As Giles Coren – who loved it too – said: it’s not cheap, but then really good food isn’t.
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