Levant book Cafe

The Best Hummus in London | Eater London

"Honoring the chickpea and fava bean breakfast traditions of Damascus at weekends, the msabbaha bil sujik is the standout dish here. Translated as “swimming,” somewhat confusingly, in most of the Levant, msabbaha refers to unblended warm hummus, but here it refers to the spicy minced lamb sujik mix that swims on a silky hummus base. Even with a lighter base, there is no denying it is a hearty, sapid dish. It’s only served at weekends, alongside tiseeya bil samneh, a riot of chickpeas and pita chips in a yogurt tahini sauce topped with spices and hot ghee, and ful bil zeit: fava beans in olive oil. The sweets programme, however, runs all week, and it isn’t to be missed. Try the halawat el-jibn, a semolina and cheese skin filled with orange blossom-flavoured clotted cream, ashta; knaffeh nablusyiah (made with semolina, the original version of the dish hails from the Palestinian city of Nablus), and the slightly chewy-textured pistachio ice-cream. One can also go home with some homemade fruit preserves and fermented chilli shatta imported from Damascus." - Joel Hart