Kinz brings Lebanese home cooking to a former bank in London's W11

In the heart of London's W11 district, a former bank has been transformed into Kinz, a Lebanese restaurant that blends everyday canteen vibes with upscale touches. The space, with its triple-height ceiling and mezzanine seating, evokes a sophisticated 1980s aesthetic, complete with large-format photographs of Lebanese life. The venture is a collaboration between Rasha Khouri Bruzzo, known for her acclaimed Palestinian restaurant Akub nearby, and brothers Jad and Karim Lahoud, Londoners raised by Lebanese chef parents. The menu emphasizes elegant sparseness, avoiding over-garnishing. Dishes include cheese rikakat (filo pastry cigars with fresh mint), moutabal (smoky chargrilled aubergine with tahini), cod fillets with walnuts and tahini sauce, and fattet aubergine baked in tomato sauce on yoghurt with toasted pitta. The standout dessert is Elene's chocolate cake, dense, dark, and oozing, so beloved that the reviewer ordered a second piece to take home, with instructions not to refrigerate it. The restaurant also offers Lebanese wines from the Bekaa valley, such as Chateau Musar Jeune, and a signature babunaj negroni cocktail. The reviewer praises the food as home cooking in the most complimentary sense, noting that the restaurant feels like an upmarket but everyday Lebanese canteen. The establishment appears poised for longevity, with the reviewer vowing to return for the chocolate cake whenever passing by.