My friend Sharon proved to be a source of great restaurant recommendations again, having suggested Delamina Townhouse as a place to meet up last night. There are three ‘Delaminas’ – Delamina East in Shoreditch, Delamina in Marylebone, and the Townhouse in Covent Garden, which is where we met last night. Housed in a Grade II listed Georgian townhouse in the heart of London’s Theatreland, it’s an elegant restaurant, laid out across different floors and mezzanines. When I arrived I was led up some stairs past a few eating areas into a bright open area with well-spaced tables, calm, neutral colours and comfy chairs. Owned by husband and wife duo Limor and Amir, they serve wonderful East Mediterranean food combining Limor’s heritage of being brought up in Tel Aviv and her love of healthy cooking. This results in some exciting food with an emphasis on grilling and roasting, using herbs and spices to create vibrant and innovative dishes.

We tend to meet early and had booked for 6.30pm, but both of us arrived a little early and were told we could order from the pre-theatre menu, available until 6.30. At £27.50 for 3 courses it seemed a good deal with excellent dishes. Some had an added surcharge. We each chose different dishes and decided we’d share them like ‘sharing plates’.

Sharon’s starter choice was ‘Crispy oyster mushroom, truffled artichokes’.  These were indeed beautifully crispy and delicious with the artichoke dip.

My choice was ‘Kholrabi carpaccio, feta, pistachios’. We both said we rarely eat kohlrabi as it’s not easily available here, or at least needs a little searching for. I’ve actually done a carpaccio recipe here on the blog (click here) with a couple of other kohlrabi recipes, so last night’s delicious take on it inspires me to seek this unusual vegetable out again. Delamina’s version was delicious and I could happily enjoy this as a light supper or lunch with some nice bread.

My main choice was ‘Sea bass chermoula, giant couscous, roast artichokes, dill yoghurt’. This was superb and such exciting flavours. The sea bass was cooked perfectly with a crispy skin, contrasting well against the soft couscous that accompanied it.

Sharon chose ‘Grilled chicken ras el hanout, roasted sweet potato purée’.

This was another wonderful dish with bright, spicy flavours inspiring me to think that I must get my jar of ras el hanout out more often! It reminded me of being in Marrakech years ago with another friend, Tina, and buying ras el hanout freshly ground for us.

There was only one choice of dessert on the set menu but it was actually the only one I fancied. It was £5 extra and £9 on the main menu. I don’t know if mine was smaller but actually it was a perfect size. ‘Chocolate mousse, olive oil, coffee & urfa chilli shards’ was fabulous. It was intensely rich (hence the size enough) and incredibly delicious. Delamina have a cookbook … I must look to see if the recipe is in it!

Sharon chose ‘Halva mousse, thyme-roasted pear, puffed buckwheat’ (£9). She gave me a taste of the halva mousse, which was lovely but a little too sweet for me, though likely balanced by the roasted pears.

It was a brilliant meal and a lovely setting as somewhere to relax and enjoy really good and innovative food.

We each had a glass of wine, Sauvignon Blanc (£12) and a Spanish rosé (£9).  I had an espresso at the end and Sharon had a fresh mint tea. The bill came to £111.23 for the two of us including drinks and service.