9.1
Amazing

Kebab Queen - Chris Snook Photography

Restaurants

Jason Allen 31/07/23


Kebab Queen

Sometimes, you find things where you least expect them.

Like Kebab Queen, an intimate counter dining restaurant that’s located… inside another restaurant.

To get there, you’ll first have to visit Maison Bab in Covent Garden, fight the urge to sit down immediately and order one of their gourmet-level kebabs, then head downstairs to locate what looks, at first glance, like a typical late-night kebab shop. Only it’s indoors. Underground. And hidden by a pastel pink curtain. Slip behind it, and you’ll find yourself in a polished chrome kitchen-slash-dining room that’s filled with joyful contradictions. Because setting off the industrial backdrop of the kitchen are elegant chandeliers, and plush blue velvet stools. You’ll sit down to eat, but there aren’t any plates. And while ostensibly you’re in a subterranean kebab shop, what is about to unfold is undeniably a fine dining experience.

And that’s not even the really unusual bit. That would be the bit about the fact that, here, the food is all served without plates and frequently without cutlery either. You see, that small bar you’re sitting at? Is actually a custom-made, heated, pristine white countertop that the food is served directly on top of. Eating with your hands is strongly encouraged, because regardless of the fancy touches the chefs apply, this is still supposed to be a kebab place.

That chef behind that counter, busily prepping dishes & chatting to customers, is one Pamir Zeydan. His culinary style has been imbued with Kurdish and Mediterranean influences from his upbringing in Turkey, as well as the fine dining techniques he’s picked up working in some of the world’s most elegant restaurants. And his tenure marks a brand new direction for Kebab Queen, infusing the menu with echoes of classic Turkish and Mediterranean dishes in a one-of-a-kind, super-intimate dining experience served to just eight people at a time.

Dishes that feature on his menu include the likes of dover sole kebab served on an ironed hispi cabbage taco, with roasted red pepper puree, sauce Grenobloise, and samphire; and a spit roast Cağ kebab of aged Dalesbred mutton with puffed pitta, charred heritage tomato ragu, smoked Turkish yoghurt, charred Çarliston pepper, shallot & sumac salad.

Essentially, you should expect great things…

 

NOTE: Kebab Queen is open Wed- Sat. You can make a booking HERE.

PREVIOUS PERK: Nudge Members were able to enjoy a secret soft launch between 16th August – 10th November 2023, with the tasting menu priced at £50pp (usually £85pp).

Kebab Queen | Downstairs at Maison Bab, Mercer’s Walk, WC2H 9QE


And once you’ve been to Kebab Queen… you can enjoy a nightcap at one of Covent Garden’s best bars


Kebab Queen


Below Maison Bab, Mercer's Walk, Covent Garden, WC2H 9QE

020 3802 0990

9.1 | Amazing