Innovative Israeli cuisine in King's Cross

Labneh and Kubala at Coal Office

Food Review: Coal Office, London.
This is a collaboration between British designer Tom Dixon and Israeli chef Assaf Granit and I’ve visited the latter’s restaurants in London - The Palomar and The Barbary, both fantastic and unique in their own way. Given how much I love Israeli food, I had to try this. Coal Office is more design savvy (not surprised) and is larger in comparison to the sister restaurants, making it very fitting for its location in King's Cross.

Let's focus on the food. What blew my mind was how the humble ingredients such as fresh oregano and aubergine created such magic. For starters, I had the Kubaneh - Kubala bread (so fresh, fragrant and delicious) to be torn and dipped in that labneh that’s dressed with tomato confit and oregano. Then the josperised (in a coal oven) aubergine with a zing of green tahini which is similar in flavour to the Yemeni zhoug.

My favourite was the truffle polenta. Now, I’ve had this at the Palomar before but the dish at the Coal Office was a definite winner. There was also an inspiring dish of spinach and chard with sumac. Don’t worry, if you’re not sure if what to have, the amazing staff here will help you decide.

I got the best seat here, the counter tables where you watch the chefs at work and both chefs  Nitai Sevach and Guy Winner are absolutely brilliant in their creations and what they brought to the table. I highly recommend Coal Office if you’re looking for an enlightening, entertaining (some of them do the occasional dance to the Middle Eastern music in the background) and healthy dining experience.

Due to the circumstances surrounding Covid-19, Coal Office managed to survive by opening their food hub and selling their freshly baked breads and delectable salads along with fresh produce from Natoora.

With the wonderful staff