Darbuka

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the evening at Darbuka, after what seemed like a doubtful start. Our table was so wonky that I feared that the bottle of lukewarm wine was going to land on the floor and this time around it would entirely not be my fault. Romana explained the situation politely to the waitress who moved us to a much nicer table and made sure our wine was chilled. Whilst waiting for our food we had a chance to look at the interior, which really creates an authentic experience. I especially liked the lights and thought the low seating would make the ideal setting for a date.
Our meze platter of haloumi (delicious) houmous (standard), yaprak dolma (stuffed wine leaves), falafel and pita bread arrived and our first impression was that it's good but nothing special. The main course of grilled meat, rice (nicely spiced with cinnamon) and salad arrived as did a belly dancer! It should come as now surprise really as the downstairs bar is a favourite for belly dancing evenings. A girl I spoke to came all the way from Leeds to participate in this. By about 9.30pm the restaurant was quite full. We had more wine (very reasonably priced) and enjoyed the vibrant ambience as we contemplated whether to have a dessert.

The best bit of the meal I would say was the perfect cup of mint tea and delicious baklava - a very sweet finish to an enjoyable evening of fun.