Magda

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 – in the shops now or buy online.

Sparsely decorated and modestly furnished, Magda relies on a large poster of a map of Africa on one wall and the evocative sketch of a dhow inside the menus to set the scene. It could be a place for the adventurous eater to take a less adventurous friend. The lengthy menu takes in everything from recognisable grills, such as lamb cutlets and a friendly-sounding baked pasta with minced meat, all the way to dishes cooked with molokhia, described as 'an old Sudanese vegetable grown by the river Nile'. Somewhere in the middle of this spectrum lies the starter of salata aswad – a tangy purée a bit like baba ghanoush, but made with peanut butter. Bamia bil foron is a dish of spicy okra baked in the oven in tomato sauce and dill, served with lamb, mixed vegetables and sesame seeds. A generous hand with the dill makes this a pleasing combination. There are a lot of vegetarian choices – fuul mosalah is a hefty one combining brown broad beans, a massive falafel, salad and feta. The pudding menu is short, but the coconut ice-cream is a good one, and the kunafa – sweet shredded pastry in syrup and cream – comes in lavish portions.

• High point: New flavours in unusual dishes
• Low point: If there's a stone in the chickpeas, staff should just apologise – not argue the point!