The growing interest in Mediterranean cuisine cannot be underestimated, and much of its popularity lies in the flexible cooking techniques, its range of ingredients and regional variations. It's also heartening to note that there are still a few places in London cosy enough to bring a smile to a diner's face, and where the chefs know how to balance flavours with care. Mem and Laz is one such restaurant, doing brisk business on Theberton Street for over ten years, with their longevity revealing that they must be certainly doing a few things right.

The quality of the food is certainly among them and the kitchen clearly harbours a soft spot for Turkish cuisine, evident in the pepper dolma stuffed with toasted pine kernels, aromatic rice and black currants, whilst Greece makes an occasional appearance with lamb kleftico and moussaka layered with potatoes, aubergine, mixed peppers, courgettes and carrots. The dessert course at Mem and Laz migrates to the British shores with a banoffee pie and bread and butter pudding.