THE BARBARY

16 Neal’s Yard, WC2; thebarbary.co.uk

And so it came to pass that Machneyuda in Jerusalem begat The Palomar in Soho. And The Palomar begat

The Barbary, in Covent Garden. And The Barbary was small and often had really long queues — and most people had very little idea what they were ordering — but it did amazing things with aubergines and octopus, so everybody fell in love with it anyway. There are menus that you look at and think, “I’d eat anything on that.” And then there are menus that prompt a bemused, “What the hell is that?” The Barbary in Covent Garden falls into the latter camp. A map on the place mat in front of you hints at the type of food to expect: the Barbary Coast is a now-defunct term for a strip from Libya in the east through Tunisia, Algeria to Morocco. And a look at the kitchen, which is approximately six inches from all 24 no-reservation seats, placed around a horseshoe bar, suggests that the food will come from a grill (or a-la-esh) rather than the Josper oven that is at the heart of The Palomar, The Barbary’s sister restaurant. Best then to put yourself in the capable hands of your server. You may never know what zhug is

(full disclosure: it’s a Yemeni hot sauce) or what they’ve done to the chicken to make it Abu Kalmash

(beats us) but the experience will be like nothing you’ve tasted before.

— WHAT TO EAT: Octopus mashawsha, a long tentacle of octopus braised for four hours and then charred on the grill; served with chickpea stew.

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WHAT TO DRINK: The shot they will offer you at the meal’s end, whether you like it or not.