Mesopotamia

The name may sound familiar. Mesopotamia is the ancient name for Iraq, and today the Mesopotamia restaurant in Wembley, northwest London, serves the finest in Iraqi home cooking. If you've never visited Iraq and sampled home cooking for yourself, well this is certainly going to be a bit of an eye-opener. But fear not, for Iraqi cuisine takes the very best of Middle Eastern cooking, aromas, flavours and ingredients to create a diverse menu that will cater for all tastes. The Mesopotamia restaurant is a family-run establishment that is neighboured by a number of other eateries, but more than holds its own on a street with some strong competition.

Inside, the Mesopotamia restaurant is crammed full with traditional and original artefacts from the owners' home country, creating a decorative effect that is highly unique and massively appealing, where history and modernity combine in a laid-back setting. The team of staff is small but extremely welcoming, ensuring dining parties of all sizes are made to feel welcome whether arriving for lunch or for a late evening meal. Mesopotamia is open from noon until 2.30pm Monday to Friday, then again at 6pm until midnight Monday to Saturday.

The cuisine at Mesopotamia is akin to Lebanese cuisine, with a similar emphasis placed on deliciously healthy ingredients served in a manner that encourages sharing. Cold and hot mezzes are available, as are mains, sides and starters, with dishes of note including the warm flatbreads with hummus, tabouleh with aubergine puree, fesenjan chicken thighs with crushed walnuts and onions, slow-cooked lamb shoulder with cinnamon broth and, for dessert, walnut-stuffed dates in a sticky syrup are the perfect way to round off a meal, with wine too of course.