Last Updated on April 10, 2024

A Mediterranean banquet in Knightsbridge

I spent a teenage Christmas working as a butcher’s assistant in Harrods Food Hall, being chased around the bowels of the shop by men wielding giant livers and being hit on the head by the hooves of swinging carcasses. It was all quite educational and more innocent than it sounds. To add to the excitement, Darth Vader was rumoured to be working in the men’s sportswear department at the time. Anyway, I have been left with an abiding fondness for Harrods. Luckily, the Food Hall lives on in great splendour and it was to the adjacent Harrods Dining Hall that we went to try out newcomer Mediterranean Grill by Assembly. We ended up having a great evening of food and entertainment.

Mediterranean Grill by Assembly is a newcomer to Harrods Dining Hall, having joined the fold in autumn 2023 after a major refurbishment and rejig of the featured restaurants. The restaurant aims to celebrate the art of open-flame cookery with a focus on Eastern Mediterranean cuisine combined with Lebanese flavours. It is the first UK opening for award-winning Greek chef Athanasios Kargatzidis, and follows on from Assembly’s launches in Dubai and Riyadh in 2023. Another of the chef’s ventures is Baron in Beirut which was awarded Best Restaurant in Lebanon in 2023. 

Harrods Dining Hall is a beautiful room with elaborately tiled walls and ceiling and it might just be the world’s prettiest food court (though that seems a bit too low rent as a term to describe it). Mediterranean Grill by Assembly shares the space with five other restaurants. We loved the decor, the atmosphere and the live music. We coincided with a singer and pianist who entertained the Wednesday night crowd with songs on the Fleetwood Mac/Commodores/Macy Gray axis. Absolutely fine by me.

And if you’re worried about feeling like you’re eating in a shop, you probably won’t. That said, a visit to the ladies does involve entering an underground warren of unattainably expensive watch concessions and an encounter with a giant dinosaur fossil.

Our waiter recommended the Harrods Pinot Grigio, Garda, Veneto, Italy 2021 as the perfect accompaniment to our planned selection of dishes. It was lovely and smooth and extremely drinkable.

The menu invites diners to take a seat, share and enjoy. It is divided into From the Grill, Small Plates and Mezze, Sides and Additions, and Desserts, so perfect for mixing and matching. We received a lot of guidance from our knowledgeable waiter and ended up with a table covered in delicious dishes to suit our tastes.

Any meal that starts with excellent mezze is going to be a winner for me. The Charred Aubergine was prepared at the table, and a jug of herb chutney, soft herbs and tomato poured into the scooped-out flesh and scattered with pine nuts.

Spice Little Gem and Burnt Aubergine Puree didn’t sound exciting but it was packed with surprises. Smoky aubergine hidden under the crunchy lettuce, pink lightly pickled onion, harissa, herbs and lemon all combined into a very moreish dish. We both loved it.

We had to try Mediterranean Grill by Assembly’s take on hummus, rich with plenty of whipped tahini. Here the dish is made extra luxurious by the addition of spice prawn and crab.

Another important element of our mezze was the very good pita served with whipped spiced butter.

Then it was on to the dishes from the grill. The Med meets Japan in the Scallop and Roe, served in shells with miso butter, shoyu, sesame spring onion and lemon. I loved the fresh citrusy flavours and juicy scallops but would have preferred a less heavy hand with the salt.

I always avoid Kofte when I see it on a menu but I may have to rethink after trying Mediterranean Grill by Assembly’s quite delicious version: Lamb Kofte Skewer. We were presented with pita pockets of juicy, spiced meat on a skewer, the bread soaking up the juices and fat from the grill, with the addition of parsley sumac and a jug of extra tahini sauce.

Last up from the Grill was the Chicken Thigh with toum, herbs, lemon and tomato chutney. This was served with quite the nicest chips I’ve had recently – flavoured with sweet paprika, scattered with crispy spiced herbs and with the added bonus of tahini ketchup (a new and exciting discovery). This all turned out to be that classic combination of chicken and chips taken to another level.

There are just two desserts on the menu but I can recommend both of them. 

Merry Cream is essentially an ice cream sundae or even a 99 with a strong Mediterranean bent. Instead of a Cadbury’s Flake, a crunchy walnut baklava pokes out of creamy soft serve ice cream, with the unexpected but welcome addition of extra virgin olive oil and Maldon Salt.

The Chocolate Truffle Tart was excellent too and came on an indulgent bed of crushed halva and pistachios. I’m glad we weren’t sensible and didn’t agree to share just one dessert. I wouldn’t have wanted to miss out on either of these.

This would be an ideal spot for a quick tasty bite at the counter or a long lazy lunch or dinner at one of the comfortable tables (at Knightsbridge prices, naturally).

We both thoroughly enjoyed our night out in Harrods and especially the food and service at the Mediterranean Grill by Assembly. There are plenty of intense, well-spiced, smoky flavours on offer here. About three bites into her meal, my companion declared it the best food she’d had for some time. 

Mediterranean Grill by Assembly
Dining Hall,
Ground Floor, Harrods,
87–135 Brompton Road,
Knightsbridge,
London SW1X 7XL