Balady

Balady is very good at putting or wrapping things in bread. Whether it’s aubergine and egg (the sabich), cauliflower shawarma, or their incredible falafel, everything at this popular casual Temple Fortune spot is offered with a huge choice of salads, pickles, hummus, red pepper and jalapeño schug, as well as tahini and amba. The result is a full-on assault of flavour. Sweet mango mingling with chickpea, red cabbage with pickled cucumber and sesame, the whole thing just working. We go for the falafel in pita (baked at local spot Taboon), but you should know that everything here is pretty great, notably their hand made chips, and the cauliflower starter. You should also know that getting a merguez wrapped in a huge, pillowy laffa from their next-door sister restaurant Alaesh is always a good idea.

photo credit: Giulia Verdinelli