Sesame

Sesame is a good place for an occasional healthy lunch. i’ve only ever tried the spiced lamb pitta and I liked it, but not enough to make me want to come back day after day.
There was too little lamb to my taste, the pitta was pretty big so you will definitely end up in a food coma after just one pitta. The salad is really fresh but the downside is, there is no way for you to eat this pitta and still remain ladylike. Sauce will drip down your face, your mouth, your chin. You will try to wipe your face furiously or try to take small bites to appear more polite. They will work, but only up to a point.
I think I’ve been spoiled by the lebanese factory in a business park in East Acton where I used to buy my koftas etc from. Now that bread was fresh. Those spices were amazing. And generally I was really spoilt. This place tries to imitate but just doesn’t hit that ooooooamazingness.
PS: Good point to note is there are seating downstairs, so not just takeaway only.
Also, if you go to the napkin/​cutlery counter — there are whole green chillis you can add to your food.

Fresh. Fast. Delicious. The pitas are fluffy and light and stuffed with just the right amount of filling. I’ve tried the lemon and zatar chicken and the lamb and both were seasoned and cooked to perfection. The portion sizes are huge and there is extra chili sauce at the condiment bar if you need it.
The hummus and prepared salads are also very good, including the roasted aubergine and cauliflower salad combo — which is most reminiscent of Ottolenghi’s delicious deli offerings. If you’re in search of some ingredients for recipes in the Jerusalem cookbook, you can also find them here. Love this place. Check it out!

The new place Sesame ahd a new twist on middle Eastern food. I tried the Za’atar chicken pitta. Very tasty but the pitta was soggy. The butternut squash yoghurt was also good. I might go back for more but I am going to try something different.

When we visited Sesame last month, Yotam Ottolenghi was in the kitchen, and when I asked one of the staff which salad had the least garlic. he kindly came out and told me most of them had garlic but none was garlicky. He recommended me Butternut Squash with Greek Yoghurt and Sumac. It was a revelation! Butternut squash was cooked to perfection, was sweet and tender. Coriander, Greek yoghurt and sumac added the depth and layers of refreshing flavours. I can eat this dish every day.
Both Lemon & Za’atar Chicken and Paprika & Cardamom Chicken skewers did not disappoint either. The former was grilled to perfection, and had great smoky flavour. The latter was tasty, but was a bit too dry and I could not detect cardamom. Zhoug (green chilli sauce) was fragrant and had wonderful combination of fresh coriander, cumin, cardamom and green chilli.
Pitta was very soft, fluffy, slightly sweet and very tasty. Now I do not want to eat other type of pitta again.

Just had lunch in this lovely little place, literally had no idea it existed. Chicken and lemon skewer with couscous.
Fantastic flavours, tasty and the chicken is super smokey skewer, highly recommended for a nice lunch.

There’s lots of pros to seasame, and a few tiny cons.
Pros: Great healthy fresh food. Grilled tasty chicken in front of your eyes. Speedy. Love never waited here more than 1 person in the queue. The management are nice including the staff as well as being really helpful. And it’s reasonable in price.
Cons: You could eat their entire menu in one day. It’s limited but they do rotate their salads. Which sounds great… But when you reallllllly want that beetroot salad you’ve had for the past few weeks and suddenly it’s gone. It can be heart breaking.
The pros out way the cons which is always a great thing. And being a new business in the centre of London I can’t wait to see them grow and develop.
Yum.

I’m not a vegetarian, but I got the vegetarian pitta: the test of a restaurant is its ability to do vegetarian food.
Hard-​boiled eggs and roasted aubergine and veg in a pitta.
It tasted like soggy pitta.
It was really, really awful. And I was hungry! Supposed to be the best sauce, but not this time.
The sauce was some sort of bland tahini and something that was like salad cream, but with less flavour. Yep. Less flavour than salad cream.
All for £5.95.
the interior was reminiscent of an anaemic Pret, topped off with either overenthusiastic or monotone drab service — it was like something out of Little Britain.

I came here tonight with a pal and definitely liked it. I got a salad with two different sides: one side beets and cheese, one side green beans. I loved the soft cheese and beet side, but the green beans had some sneaky coriander in them, which I hate.
I bought a bag of spring onion and Parmesan pita chips. Very homemade tasting.
My friend got a chocolate chip cookie with halva in it. It was soft and delicious.
It was pretty affordable, too, about 8 pounds for a main. My friend got a pita with eggs and veggies. Next time I’m going to get that.

After all the rave reviews I’ve seen going around I did have high expectations of this place and was really looking forward to trying it with my houmous loving friend! We visited after a few cocktails at a local bar and it was empty! To be honest I thought it was going to have a slightly different vibe but it was like a Leon just before closing.
Not many salads to choose from left!
I went for the lamb pitta and my friend got a chicken skewer and houmous. Both were good (pitta nice and fluffy, meat good but not enough sauce) but nothing special! I suppose at £7ish you can’t complain and it is clearly geared towards more a lunch time thing. A bit of a let down and I won’t be rushing to return however if in the area and didn’t want a sit down lunch I may return!

Mmmmmmm mmmmm mmmmm! Stop the press. Ottolenghi co-​founder Noam Bar has opened up a Middle East inspired street food café in the West End. There’s pittas, skewers, salads, juices and desserts. And it’s yum and affordable.
I can’t get over the delicious smokiness of the lemon and za’atar chicken (za’atar is a Middle Eastern blend of thyme, sumac and sesame beloved of Ottolenghi). We weren’t planning to eat the bread, but the chicken had flavoured it something delicious and we couldn’t resist. I also ate the butternut squash salad with greek yoghurt and sumac — simple, sweet and perfectly done.
The vibe and décor is a bit like the Leon chain but it’s more spacious here with lots of seating. It’s reasonably priced with a nice meal for about six pound fifty. But the food is delicious and the star of the show. Something about the food from Ottolenghi and co really satisfies my pallet. I hope they expand and open one near my work. Can we say all together ‘Open Seasme’.

This is Ottolenghi’s newest venture — quality, healthy fast food with a healthy slant. I was lucky enough to be given a soft opening voucher for a free lunch on the week before it opened.
The staff were incredibly friendly and enthusiastic (will be interesting to see if this lasts!). For the main I chose a lemon and za’atar chicken pitta (I still don’t know what za’atar is, but it tasted good!). The chicken was tender and had a lovely BBQed smoky flavour. The tabbouleh was a bit disappointing as there was an overwhelming taste of red onion, and I was left picking herbs out of my teeth for the rest of the afternoon. This can be forgiven as the fresh orange juice is absolutely AMAZING and was the real highlight.
Overall a good experience and I will return (just not for the tabbouleh!)