Restaurant Review: Ayam Zaman - a Syrian food haven in London

I have been going to Ayam Zaman for years and it is one of my favourite restaurants in London. I have taken many friends, I have used their catering for events, and they even donated countless numbers of sandwiches and drinks for a human rights demonstration my colleagues and I organised on chemical attacks in Syria - so grateful were they that we were drawing attention to the plight of civilians in Syria. Those lucky demonstrators got surprised at the end of our speeches with some amazing shawarma wraps.

Aside from their charitable hearts, the best reason to go there is for the food. The first dilemma you'll encounter is what to order. After all, one can only eat so much! The problem is, the mezze (starters) is outstanding and the main courses are equally outstanding. Having a scroll through their menu, my favourite starters to eat there have been:

• Tabbouleh - a chopped parsley and cracked wheat salad
• lentil soup - a favourite for Muslims breaking their fast during Ramadan
• Labneh - a sour strained yogurt dip
• Moutabal - an aubergine, sesame and yogurt dip
• Fattoush salad - a green salad mixed in with fried bread
• Batata Harra - fried cubes of potatoes with chili
• Borek bil Jibneh - a savoury pastry stuffed with cheese
• Kibbeh Shamiyeh - deep-fried lamb, cracked wheat and onion meatballs stuffed with lamb mince and onion
• Fattet Hommos - layered chickpeas with fried bread, yogurt, sesame and garlic
• Fattet Makdous - aubergines stuffed with lamb mince layered with fried bread, yogurt, sesame and garlic
• Hara Isbah - pasta made with tamarind and lentil, served with fried bread, coriander and garlic
• Hommos Awarma - Hommos topped with diced lamb and nuts
• Jawaneh - grilled chicken wings with a garlic marinade

Bear in mind this isn't the full menu, just my favourites, so you can imagine the choice dilemma I face when eating there! If you haven't managed to go overboard ordering starters, you might possibly have space for main courses (I failed at this last night). In terms of main courses, I love their:

• Chicken Shawerma - thin slices of marinated chicken
• Farruj Ayam Zaman - grilled boneless baby chicken
• Kebab Aubergine - grilled minced lamb skewers with bits of grilled aubergine in between
• Kebab Halabi - grilled minced lamb skewers following the Aleppo recipe
• Biryani Lamb - lamb cooked in biryani sauce with rice, fried onions and yogurt
• Frika Chicken - fried green wheat served with chicken
• Kabseh Chicken or Lamb - meat accompanied with rice made with sultanas, onion and pepper, topped with nuts and served with yogurt
• Kibbeh Labanyeh - Kibbeh balls cooked in yogurt and tarragon
• Sheikh Almehshi - courgette stuffed with lamb mince, cooked in yogurt with nuts sprinkled on top

Are you now beginning to understand just how difficult it is for me to order there? And after all that food, you might even have room for dessert if your stomach is an elasticated wonder. If so, I recommend the Baklava or the Mahalabih, a rice, milk and rose water pudding made with pistachios. It goes perfectly with the tea served after the meal. If you also wanted to take a bigger taste of Syria home with you, you could go grocery shopping at their Syrian market next door. 

The only downside of such great food? The queues on weekend nights. Plus, it's quite a trek for me to go, but I find the food is well-worth the hour plus travel time. If only they would open a branch near my house!

Do they take reservations? I wouldn't know, it's not the Arab way! The prices they charge are very reasonable and have even stunned some of my friends because the quality of the food is so high.

Ayam Zaman are at:

258 Uxbridge Road
Shepherd's Bush, W12 7JA
T: 02087406816