[title]
Please note, Sibarita has now closed. Time Out Food editors, December 2018.
Sibarita has pulled off a neat little trick. It’s arrived on Maiden Lane, one of the capital’s oldest thoroughfares, but it already feels like part of Theatreland’s furniture. The small dining room is intimate and atmospheric. Look up and you’ll see wooden planks, posing as rafters. From these, potted orchids are a-dangling. It’s great for a date.
The menu is short and wine-bar-ish. Sibarita is a spin-off of Encant (a swisher spot a few doors down) and deals in charcuterie, cheese and a few tapas plates. But portions are generous, so unless you’re in a group, you won’t try it all.
Which might be a blessing. Because while plenty of the food is great, there are misfires too. My advice? Stick to veg or meat, plus the more trad-style stuff. Such as the rich, satisfying deep-fried artichokes, with their crisp edges and soft, buttery centres. Or chunks of crunchy breaded chicken, served with a sharp, caponata-esque heap of Mediterranean veg. Thyme-slathered lamb chops were also decent, as was the trio of spinach-stuffed ‘croquetas del dia’. But a yellowtail ceviche lacked oomph, the high-quality fish overwhelmed by the sweetness of the blood orange. Worse still, a plate of (overcooked) octopus was chewy to the point of being inedible.
But service is warm (even if they didn’t notice that untouched octopus) and the buzzy vibe will make you want to come back. Welcome to Covent Garden, Sibarita.