EAT OUT OR EAT IN

A Middle Eastern oasis in the heart of London’s Fitzrovia, serving up traditional grills, seasonal produce and meze plates from an ever-changing menu

Cook dishes from Honey & Smoke

Honey & Smoke bills itself as a grill house, but has a smart, modern interior that speaks of much more than simply kebabs and grilled veg. Its older sibling, Honey & Co, is a much smaller outfit that’s always packed to the rafters, but here you can score a table without much effort. Dishes are, of course, from the Middle Eastern diaspora, with familiar flavours from Turkey and Morocco via Israel. Aubergine, tahini, lamb chops and octopus all feature on the menu – summer stars bright tomato and peppers while winter showcases darker, richer options, such as lamb necks with burnt aubergine yogurt (p148) and grilled apples & pears (p149). honeyandco.co.uk

Spiced plum gin & tonic

One of our favourite twists on a gin and tonic – this turns it into something quite spectacular. Roast the plums with punchy spices first (see the plum syrup recipe below); they’re so robust and take the flavours well, while the orange rounds everything off beautifully. It’s so easy to drink, you’ll really need to pace yourself.

SERVES 4 PREP 5 mins EASY V

Put 2-3 tbsp plum syrup and a roasted plum wedge (see recipe, left) into four glasses and pour over 50ml gin. Stir well. Rub the rims of the glasses with strips of pared orange zest, then twist each strip and set aside. Put a small handful of ice in each glass, then top up with tonic water and another 1 tsp plum syrup. Garnish with the orange twists.

GOOD TO KNOW vegan • gluten free

PER SERVING 166 kcals • fat none • saturates none • carbs 8g • sugars 8g • fibre none • protein none • salt 0.01g

Husband and wife Itamar and Sarit run Honey & Co

The restaurant’s Middle Easterninspired menu is built around seasonal ingredients, such as aubergines, figs and peppers, plus grilled meat and seafood