It had been a long time. I could hardly believe when I checked the date of my first visit to The Palomar on the blog  that it had been in December 2014. I went a second time a couple of years later with friends and have always meant to go back. But it didn’t seem to happen . . . It’s been on my mind, especially over recent months when I saw they were now offering a great-looking fixed price menu deal in the week – 3 courses for £28, 12 to 5.15pm Mon-Thurs; 12.20-2.30pm Fri. That would fit perfectly with my ‘art days’ when I go to an exhibition and then find a great lunch. So, when I was discussing with my friend Sharon where we could meet for a meal one evening, suddenly I remembered: How about The Palomar? She’s been before and was keen to return too. So a table was booked, and that’s where we met last night. And all I’ll say at this point is that I’m not leaving it so long to return again!

The Palomar is situated in the heart of London’s Theatreland, just off Shaftesbury Avenue, which is full of theatres, and a stone’s throw from Piccadilly Circus. It offers a menu influenced by the cuisines of Southern Spain, North Africa and the Levant. It’s held a Michelin Bib Gourmand since 2014.

When you book, you can choose to sit at the bar in the front or the dining area at the back. The bar, where I sat the first time, is great fun with its open kitchen and being able to see food being prepared. However, the quieter dining area at the back, sitting at a table, can be better for when you want a good chat with your dining companion. So I reserved a table there.

It was busy when I arrived; the restaurant buzzing with a great atmosphere. The greeting was warm and friendly, as was the service throughout: helpful and friendly but not in an OTT way. Just perfect.

Water was brought straight away and menus. The menus are large. When a waitress came and was talking to us, answering some of our questions, my menu slipped forward and suddenly was alight. It had gone onto the tea light in the middle of the table. The drama was soon over. The waitress blew out the flame, assured me it had happened before and brought me a new menu. Sharon had suggested we order plates to share, as she’d done before – a main and some sides and appetisers. The waitress was helpful about how much she thought was right for us to order. We did end up with quite a lot, so perhaps slightly overdid it. The dishes were generous sizes, not ‘mouthful-sized small plates’. But how to resist all those gorgeous dishes!

We ordered glasses of wine each: Grenache (£9) and Sancerre (£16). Then came our first appetiser dishes: Hummus Masabacha (£8) and Turmeric Cauliflower Mshat with Apricot Harissa (£7.95) and two pita breads (£3 each).

The hummus was gorgeous, one of the best I’ve ever had as was the pita. Really fantastic pita.

The cauliflower fritters were also delicious – very light and tasty.

The different dishes we’d ordered gradually came as they were ready. The Baby Cucumbers with Green Tahini and Crispy Chilli Oil (£11) were so fresh tasting, tangy and moreish. This was one of my favourites of our choices, though to be honest I’d be hard pressed to say what I’d liked best as it was all so good.

The main dish we chose was Grilled Hake with Brown Butter, Carrot and Radicchio (£26). Hake is such a great fish and this was perfectly cooked. I’m also a great fan of radicchio and the carrot purée was delicious.

Our last ‘main’ was Hispi Cabbage with Onion, Chilli Shatta and Aubergine Yoghurt (£11), which was as lovely as all the other dishes. If you have any doubts about how good cabbage can be, this will convert you. This is cabbage at its most delicious best.

We’d loved the food and were quite full by the end but then couldn’t resist sharing a dessert when we saw Basque Chocolate Cheesecake with Olive Oil & Yoghurt Ice Cream and Toasted Almonds (£8) was on offer. It was a great way to end a brilliant meal, along with individual pots of fresh mint tea (£4 each).

It was a lovely evening. Time spent with a good friend (going back to school days!) and the most fabulous meal. Everything about it was excellent and really, I can’t believe I waited so long to go back, but it’s now firmly lodged in my mind as one of my favourite restaurants so I’m sure I’ll return soon.

The bill for two, including service was £127.07