Restaurants

The revived Little Georgia – relocated not far from its previous site on Broadway Market – has retained much of the atmosphere we loved, with cream and mossy green painted tongue-and-groove, unfussy wooden furniture, jazzy Georgian music and low lighting lending a calm, laid-back vibe. Visiting soon after the reopening, there wasn’t yet a licence: we rued the lack of opportunity to indulge in some of Georgia’s exuberantly robust wines, rarely found in London. By day a café with some Georgian specials, the evening menu is still short and to the point. For the truly hungry, Georgian meze offers a combination of spinach phkali (a dense pâté with walnuts and cheese), a simple grated carrot salad with garlic and mayo, a good multi-textured russian salad and nigziani, a rich salad of peppers, aubergine and walnut served with the ubiquitous khachapuri (cheese bread). As in earlier times, we found it all a touch too heavy: the khachapuri (usually everyone’s favourite) was so overstuffed with cheese that it soon collapsed into an unappealing, soggy mess. After the over-rich meze, mains of kebab and meatballs served with light rice and fresh tomato sauce were pleasingly simple.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008