Mediterranean eatery is London outpost of Jerusalem's acclaimed Machneyuda.
The United Kingdom is one of the world's great culinary destinations, so to be named the top restaurant in the country – not once, but twice – is a heck of an accomplishment. The Palomar, serving modern-day Mediterranean food, has earned the honor in 2015 from both the British edition of GQ as well as Tatler magazine.
The Palomar's Mediterranean influence takes its cue from the well-regarded Jerusalem eatery Machneyuda. Both restaurants are owned by Israeli chefs Assaf Granit, Yossi Elad and Uri Navon. Unlike many of the restaurants cited by both magazines, though, the Palomar is intimate – it has 10 tables and 16 seats at the bar – and reasonably priced.
A look at the menu yields a number of dishes we would hop on a plane for if we could: the onglet (hanger) steak with latkes, fried egg and bone marrow; the "Octo-hummus" that mixes octopus with a hummus variant and a tomato confit; and the labneh ice cream. If it's as good as advertised, the plane ride will have been worth it.