You know how it goes…

Your mate: “What do you fancy eating?”

You: *stomach rumbling* “Erm.. I don’t mind…”

*cue frustrating indecisiveness*

You want something tasty, relatively healthy and within a stone’s throw of central London. Sick of pizza, burgers, pasta or fried chicken? Try Middle Eastern.

Mamounia Lounge London, with venues in Mayfair and Knightsbrigde, offers diners an authentic Arabic drinking and dining experience – shisha optional.

I was invited to check out their menu, and so took along my friend – Lucie Loves’ Men’s Fashion & Lifestyle Editor, James Barley – to give me a second opinion.

It was a quiet Tuesday night when we arrived for our 7:30pm reservation at Mamounia Mayfair. However, due to a little mix up, we actually turned up at the wrong place. We were booked into their Knightsbridge restaurant instead! Oops! Fortunately, we were greeted by a very pleasant – if a little surprised member of the Mamounia team, Keith – who made us feel very welcome.

*Mouths watering* he guided us through the menu , and recommended the hummus. Which, we can confirm – having devoured it – is very good!

First off, we ordered a couple of cocktails. James went for the Marrakech Express and I chose the Mamounia Mule. Mamounia Lounge offers quite an extensive list of cocktails, so be prepared to need a good 5+ minutes or so to make your mind up.

What we ate…

It look us a while to decide what to eat. The menu is crammed with so many tasty dishes, including a good array of tagines and mixed grill platters. We decided to share three hot mezze dishes, between the two of us, to get us started. They were the lamb hommus kawarma, the sausage platter (which is tasty but generously sized) and the halloumi.

For our mains, James order the baby chicken mixed grill with white rice, and I opted for the grill king prawns and Mamounia rice. Again – unless you are really reeeeeeeeeeeeally hungry – one rice is enough to share one between two.

Finally, not wanting to leave without trying a dessert… because that would be rude… I ordered the chocolate fondant with ice cream (the waitress was particularly enthusiastic about me having this, and it was bloody delicious!) James went for the Mahalabia – a traditional Arabic pudding made with rose water, milk and vanilla.

What did we think?

Compared to the review dinner I’d eaten the night before – at a well-known Italian restaurant, which lacked atmosphere and failed to set my soul alight – Mamounia Lounge, with its well-executed, traditional Lebanese and Morrocan cuisine, offers something different. Taste-driven escapism at its best.

I was a bit gutted that we hadn’t booked our visit for a Friday or Saturday night. The weekend is when the Mamounia Lounge truly comes alive. From their exotic belly dancers, range of live music, house djs and fragrant shisha – I imagine the vibe completely changes when this crazy party starts.

Where is Mamounia Lounge?

MAYFAIR

To make a reservation at the Mayfair venue please contact 0207 629 2211 or email on mayfair.reception@mamounialounge.com

Nearest Tube: Green Park

Parking: On street parking meters and Pay by Phone Bays. Single yellow lines are located near the venue that can be parked on after 6.30pm Monday – Saturday and all day Sunday.

Valet Parking £20 per car.

Please note: Mamounia Mayfair is inside the London Congestion Charging Zone

Monday - Friday: 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 a.m. Saturday: 6:00 p.m. – 1:30 a.m. Sunday: 6:00 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.

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KNIGHTSBRIDGE

To make a reservation at the Knightsbridge venue please contact 0207 581 7777 or email on reservations@mamounialounge.com

Nearest Tube: Knightsbridge

Parking: On street parking meters and Pay by Phone Bays

Please note: Mamounia Knightsbridge is outside the London Congestion Charging Zone

Opening Hours: Monday - Sunday: 11am - 00.00am

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Photography © Lucie Kerley