Queen Of Sheba

Whenever we come to this decade-old Yemeni spot in Paddington, we know exactly what we’re going to order. Because coming to Queen Of Sheba without ordering the laham madfoon is like going to Nando’s and ordering plain-ish: it should be illegal. Slow-cooked for hours, the lamb slips right off the bone, where it should go from your hand straight into your mouth. If you’re not familiar with Yemeni food, this warm neighbourhood spot is the best place to start because we think it’s the best Yemeni restaurant in London. 

The casual interiors make us feel like we’re in a friend's very dimly lit, very spacious living room. It’s old-school and simple, with stone interiors that pay homage to the Old City of Sana’a and locals smoking shisha outside at all times of the day. While it’s perfectly comfortable, you're not going to get any interior design inspiration. This is a place where the food is the focus and phones eat last—if at all. 

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Around the room, big families gather around platters of spiced mandi, scooping spoonfuls of the colourful rice straight into their mouths—because who needs sharing plates? Friends who miss their mum's cooking gather for some golden chicken mandi, and hungry diners see the incredibly soft ratab bread being pulled apart on another table and immediately order one for themselves. If you’re a soup kind of person, you’ll appreciate the brothy lamb soup to start, but otherwise we’d skip straight to the mains.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

The laham madfoon is a must—forget cutlery and pull apart the lamb shank with your hands or even better, scoop pieces with the layered, buttery ratab flatbread that’s generously lathered with ghee. And make sure to get the fattat banana with cream to finish. We’ve even stopped by just for the comforting, bready dessert when we’re in the area. 

Food Rundown

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Kibbah

While starters aren’t the reason you’re here, these kibbah bites are a really great taster of how good the meat is here. The crispy bulgur wheat coating holds peppery, crumbly minced meat inside. Just be careful not to burn the roof of your mouth, this deep-fried snack comes out piping hot.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Laham Madfoon

The star of the show. The MVP. The cream of the crop. This unbelievably tender lamb dish is our new benchmark for anything that’s slow-cooked. The meat is juicy and flakes away at the same time, and the bone comes away clean with minimal effort. If you’re only getting one thing, make it this.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Mandi Dajaj

We’re fans of this light, steamed chicken dish. The meat is soft and nicely flavoured with cinnamon and pepper, and the saffron-dyed rice is a very welcome, satisfying addition.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Ratab Bread

If we had to give up every other kind of bread in the world, we would for this well-oiled flatbread. The layers are chewy and springy, and it’s got pools of butter. Eat it alone, scoop up pieces of meat with it, whatever you do just eat it.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Fattat Banana With Cream

Our friendly server told us we ‘can’t try Yemeni food without having the traditional Yemeni dessert’. And so we did. And since then, we’ve googled tutorials online on how to make it at home, we’ve checked the route to Paddington when we’ve been across town, and we’ve thought about this dessert more than we like to admit. Thick spoonfuls are filled with sweet, soft banana pulp and carby bread, striking the perfect balance between sweet and salty. Like the server said, you shouldn’t leave without trying this.