I was recently invited along to one of the most intimate press dinners I’d ever experienced. After making my way along the dark streets of Bermondsey, in search of the address on my citymapper app, I thought I’d gotten a bit lost… Then, suddenly a door opened, under the railway arches, and I was greeted with the glow and hustle and bustle of Ceru’s south east London production kitchen.

The rest of the guests were already seated around the make-shift dining table. I spotted my friend Tiki Chris, a familiar face on the foodie scene and took a seat next to him – do check out his blog, he’s bloody good!

Born from a love of food, drink and sunshine, Ceru aims to take its diners on a journey with an array of authentic flavours and cooking methods. My eyes were literally on stalks as they brought out dish after dish of beautiful, fresh food.

If you like sharing dishes, mezze or tapas, then Ceru is for you. They source their food from London markets to serve up flavours inspired by Western Asian, Eastern Mediterranean, Northeast African and Northwest Arabian cooking.

But apart from the food, what I enjoyed most was hearing about the blood, sweat and tears that had gone into making Ceru a restaurant that both Barry and his partner, Patricia, would be incredibly proud of. 

They offer an all day menu – with lots of gluten free options, and dishes ranging from £4 to £10, a bloomin’ good breakfast menu of sweet and savoury options like almond porridge or baked eggs in a tomato sauce - from £1 to £9.75, and a range of fresh juices and hot drinks – something that I’m always on the lookout for in London! 

They’re also launching an Afternoon Tea option this year, from £19.50 per person, so be sure to keep an eye on their menu to see what’s on offer.

What we ate…

• Ceru’s signature slow roasted lamb with shawarma spices, topped with pomegranate and pistachio dressing.
• Delicious courgette fritters with cumin, dill and feta cheese
• A refreshing apple and mint salad – the perfect palate cleanser!
• A flavours of baklava dessert and heavenly almond brittle and cardamon ice cream

To accompany each dish we were offered a choice of Turkish, Lebanese and French wines, and a cocktail called Too Hot to Handle, which combined whisky and chilli – to give it a real kick! It was sooo hot that at one point I think Tiki Chris had steam coming out of his ears! Haha!

Looking for a new place to eat in London, but keep going back to your old haunts? If you love Mediterranean cuisine, I would highly recommend nipping to Ceru Restaurant, in 7-9 Bute Street, South Kensington SW7 3EY

Find out more at: cerurestaurants.com

Photography © Lucie Kerley