Ceru

It’s about time I found somewhere to fuel my houmous dining desires.

Ceru is divine. Heavenly. Glorious. I don’t think I can possibly stop talking about it. So let’s start shall we?

At the suggestion of my friend Aftab from Fresh and Fearless, we planned a catch up over lunch last Thursday. We hadn’t seen each other since 2014, which is just preposterous. And wow. I’m so glad we finally got together.

Now back to the food.

Ceru is a short walk up from Tottenham Court Road tube station. The outside decor is fun and fresh. You know before you step in the door that you’re going to experience local ingredients with vibrant flavors.

The inside is also pretty tiny! Definitely best to come at off peak times to secure a table.

I arrived a little bit early and grabbed a table. Ceru has a selection of fresh juices to order. Trying to be healthy (seriously), I ordered a Carrot juice. So fresh, so good.

Ceru has a great menu filled with plenty of flavor. There are tons of options, and they’re actually very affordable. So get yourself in on your lunch break! From dips and salads, to meat and veg dishes, there’s something for even the pickiest eater.

Shortly after picking out my carrot juice Aftab arrived and we settled in to order some food.

I was ravenous.

We both ordered the houmous topped with chickpeas, green chilli and lemon. Ceru were great and suggested we opt to try several dips instead (while giving us a great heaping scoop of houmous too).

They were extra accommodating as well. Aftab was sick and we didn’t want to share plates. So they sectioned off our own little ones. Brilliant.

So we tried the selction: Pancar (bottom)– roast beetroot, yoghurt, garlic and pistachio nuts. Fadi (right) – fried baby courgrette puree with tahini, roast garlic, yoghurt and lemon. Spicy roast red pepper dip (top) – chilli and walnuts and pomegranate molasses.

This, of course, came with warmed pita bread.

I’m such a fan of these spiced dips. My favorite picks were of course, the houmous topped with chickpeas. But a great runner up was the red pepper dip. And the pancar. Well, let’s suffice it to say I loved them all.

Next up? Our mains. As it was lunchtime, I picked a salad comprised of baby spinach with labne, dried cranberries and toasted flat bread with Zaatar. And for those of you (like me) who don’t know what these are, I’ll break it down. Labne – marinated yoghurt cheese balls. Who knew? I loved them! And Zaatar – apparently a blend of Middle Eastern herbs, sesame and salt.

I love learning about new foods that I’m trying and tasting. Strangely, I prefer looking up what ingredients are after the fact. You never know what you’re going to like, so you might as well try things unbiased!

Aftab chose the chicken kebab marinated with lemon saffron. He was kind enough to allow me a taste, and it was really lovely. The chicken was cooked perfectly, not too dry and seasoned extremely well.

I feel like we were definitely a bit spoiled at Ceru.

When the time came to ask about dessert… we couldn’t budge.

I don’t think I’ve had such a decadent lunch in ages. And lucky for me, I was in great company.

It was certainly a lovely afternoon, and exactly the mid week pick me up I needed. The food at Ceru is fresh and healthy but doesn’t compromise in the slightest on amazing flavor. I feel like every restaurant I’ve been to lately is an absolute rave. A beam of positivity. Ceru isn’t any different. Positive reviews all around.