The only reason I visited Miznon Notting Hill was because of the image of a man, crouched over a little table along the side of Kensington Park Road, tucking delightedly into an entire head of cauliflower.
Despite the music at Miznon being a touch aggressive for lunch, the vibe is warm, light-hearted and fun. There are families spilling across tables and delicious-looking plates of food swirling through the crowds. We ordered the ‘Bag O green beans’, the roasted cauliflower pita and ‘The best Hummus plate that you will ever eat’ which, probably is the best houmous plate I have ever eaten.
I agreed with the woman taking my order that, while the whole cauliflower dish was fascinating, ‘it is kinda weird’. She suggested I go for the pita instead, perhaps a more balanced dish.
And it was delightful – super salty cauliflower roasted to crispy perfection, tender chunks of raw tomato spliced with tangy spring onion, rich tahini dressing which oozed its way through the party, all stuffed within a warm and impressively bouncy pita. An extremely delicious and decadent lunch.
The houmous, paired with never-ending pita, lives up to its name. It is rich and silky with buttery whole chickpeas and rivers of olive oil running through it. As my friend would put it, extremely slutty. Which, I think, characterises most of the best food in life (and most of the food here).
The beans, which arrived as described – clattered generously into a white paper bag – are topped with lemon, olive oil and a brilliantly generous amount of sea salt. Uncomplicated, zinging with flavour and so fun to eat. Is the green bean the new padron pepper?! I asked my dining partner, dropping handfuls into my mouth.
While I’ve seen the ordering system, which consists of your name noted and then screamed from the pass when your food is ready, criticised for its unruliness, I think it’s all part of the fun. (However, the staff seem to have taken matters into their own hands, delivering food to tables directly instead of relying on your wavering attention).
This delicious chaos climaxed with an offer of free sambuca and then a spare lamb-filled pita, both of which, feeling stuffed, vegan, and reluctant to party, we politely declined.
While the food at Miznon is extremely rich, and you don’t feel the freshest for a good while after, it is worth it for the flavour (and the fun 🤪).
