Mes Amis

This hidden gem is a quaint and charming place tucked away in the backstreets of Hammersmith. Your food is cooked by the eccentric chef in the same room as the tables, which incidentally feels like you’re in the front room of a house! This, twinned with the random decorations and the short walk past a sofa and tv to get to the toilet all makes for a memorable and unique dining experience. The food is nice and there are sufficient vegetarian options throughout the menu. I would definitely recommend trying this place at least once!

This is a wonderful hidden gem. My partner and I took a couple of our friends to this restaurant after a recommendation and we were pleasantly surprised. This intimate restaurant is basically set up in someone’s front room and there is one chef who cooks everything fresh infront of you. The décor is like being in Alice in Wonderland with things everywhere, it is extremely enchanting. The mixed mezze starter is amazing and do try the Lebanese wine. It is now our local little restaurant and we always love every visit!

Bizarre is the word I would use to describe this place.
First of all, the location. It was really in the middle of nowhere. I walked for a good 15 – 20 minutes from Hammersmith Station through residential areas to find it. There doesn’t seem to be anything else around but this restaurant at a street corner. My friend picked this place for her husband’s surprise birthday dinner and it was indeed a surprise.
The the restaurant décor itself. So this is supposed to be a Mediterranean restaurant, but the décor is totally Asian and super clustered. I felt that I was walking into a hoarder’s house, there are fans hanging everywhere, umbrella’s on the ceiling, all sorts of knick knacks everywhere. We had a group of 9 and we were squeezed in a tiny table that will seat 6 comfortably. There was this huge candle holder covered with candle wax on the table, so big that I couldn’t see the person across the table from me.
Then there is the kitchen. It is actually in the restaurant itself! Just a regular stove, the same one you have in your apartment, behind the bar and it is turning out food for the whole restaurant which has easily 7 – 10 tables! I was floored. I knew it was going to be a long time before I could see any hot food on the table.
The food was actually OK. We ordered a bunch of cold mezza. We had to otherwise, we would starve to death while waiting for the food to be cooked. For main dish there were some variations of chicken and lamb which all came with similar sauce and same sides. Well, I think the food was probably pre-​cooked and just walked up on the stove.
It is an experience alright, but not the kind I want to repeat.

Each month one of my group of girls picks a restaurant, we all meet up at a pre-​designated location and find out where we’re going for food. In the (almost) 2 years that we’ve been doing this, Mes Amis was the most wonderful and bizarre place we’ve been to yet.
Situated in-​between Hammersmith and Baron’s Court, we got off at Hammersmith and walked for what seemed like ages, turning off the main road into the residential areas. One of the girls joked about how we were going for dinner at a random’s house and how right she was!
Mes Amis is an unassuming Lebanese restaurant on the corner of the road that at first glance, looks rather uninspiring. However, inside is a treasure trove of the bizarre, quirky and tack, which makes for rather eclectic viewing. Mes Amis can seat approximately 22 people and against the wall at the back is where the magic happens. You have one man chopping, throwing and mixing, surrounded by courgettes snugly decorated with finger puppets, giant rich red tomatoes and a stuffed owl or two.
The menu is simple. Probably 6 mains to choose from, all following the theme of ‘beef shish, chicken shish, lamb shish…’ You get the picture. And 2 starter platters. But you don’t need an extensive menu to guarantee delicious food. Unfortunately for me, I’ve started on a month’s vegetarian detox and so had to miss out on the pile of meat that everyone else tucked into with relish and great murmurs of delight. The chef was great though and rustled me up a veggie delight in a creamy, heavenly gravy-​type sauce.
Going to the toilets is also fun. You walk through what can only be described as their ‘TV lounge’. There’s a small sofa, and hundreds of DVDS. The toilets are brilliant — garish jewels scattered here and there, a duck toilet roll holder, stuff you’d never think you’d ever see in anyone’s house.
Overall, slightly awkward location, but excellent service, delicious food and brilliant surroundings. It’s a feast for the eyeballs too — you’ll keep picking out things you didn’t see a moment before. Watch out for the poodle salt and pepper pots!

Guys !!! This is one of my best finds in London. Tucked away in the residential area of Fulham, you have this lovely eclectic resturant. When you first walk in, you are overwhelmed with color and zaaaz … which makes this resturant what it is.
Their staff, wooooww !!! lovely people. The chef comes by and says hello to everyone, and the wait staff were very friendly and helpful.
Food !!! It was Yuuuummmy !!! It was simple yet delicious and tasty yet non pretentitous. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed that they ran out of lebanese wine. On other hand it does give me and excuse to come back for more.
This place is a little pain to get to, but once you are there you can have a very enjoyable evening. I would like to end by saying, this is not a place for snooty people. It is a place for easy going people who make the best of every situation.
Enjoy !!!

everytime I try and find this little restaurant I get lost. luckily I have always been able to locate it in the end so far. it feels like visiting your family in Lebanon (if you had one); as far as I can tell the food is very authentic and the atmosphere is very special. I like the bright décor and the fact that you have to know it’s here. must go agin soon!