NOOR is a new Mediterranean-Japanese restaurant along Mohamed Sultan

NOOR is a new Mediterranean-Japanese restaurant along Mohamed Sultan Road, and while the combination sounds unconventional at first, the Japanese influences are worked in with a relatively light hand. Mediterranean flavours like tahini, harissa, labneh and pomegranate remain at the heart of the cooking, with miso, dashi and other Japanese ingredients adding another layer to familiar dishes.

Start with the Shok Bread, a warm and fluffy take on Japanese shokupan that is dangerously easy to finish. Get the Mezze Trio alongside it so you can scoop up all three housemade dips: the savoury mentaiko-spiked Ikra, roasted pepper and walnut Muhammara Miso, and smoky Yaki Feta. It is one of the simplest combinations on the menu, but also one of the best ways to ease into NOOR’s Mediterranean-Japanese approach.

Aka Beet Salad pairs roasted beetroot with citrus cream cheese and blood orange vinaigrette, giving it a lovely balance of earthy sweetness and acidity, while the Kyuri Salata is crisp, refreshing and creamy, with cucumber and a Japanese-influenced aioli. An easy crowd-pleaser is the Maguro Harissa Crispy Rice, with tuna tartare and harissa aioli sitting atop crisp sushi rice. The Tahini Gyoza is another fun crossover, stuffing gyoza wrappers with shawarma-spiced chicken before finishing them with tahini, pine nuts and harissa chilli oil.

The fusion becomes more adventurous with the Mediterranean Ramen, where a tahini-spiked chicken broth replaces the usual Japanese ramen base, accompanied by char-grilled mussels and furikake harissa. For Ebi Freekeh Risotto, instead of rice, slightly chewy and nutty freekeh is cooked with dashi and paired with grilled tiger prawns, caramelised onion cream and green chilli shatta.

Meat lovers can go for the Short Rib Wagyu, which is slow-cooked until fork-tender and paired with baba ganoush, pomegranate molasses gravy and pine nut couscous. It is richer and heavier than much of the menu, but that sweet-tangy pomegranate note helps cut through the beef.

With its warm lighting, open kitchen, buzzy crowd and drinks flowing into the night, its definitely one of those spots that feels made for a fun night out.

Originally posted on Instagram