Sunday, January 30, 2011

Hummus Bros

I'm starting an obsession with pestos, sauces and generally anything great for bread dipping and splashing over pasta. It may have to do with finally getting a food processor after all this time. Another blog post methinks, to expand upon the subject of all things dip-worthy, as in the mean time...

It was very timely to be invited to my first bloggers event (coinciding with Hungry Female's one year anniversary of blogging!), a tasting evening at Hummus Bros. A recipient of high praise at the time of their Soho opening in 2005, I had sheepishly never been before then.

The concept is simple, and effective. Take hummus as a base, whack on a topping of your choice, choose a side if you wish, and voila. A tasty, healthy and good alternative to the ubiquitous sandwich.


Chunky beef was an instant hit with me. Slow-cooked with a small hint of spice, I piled this high on my pitta.


Their special that occasion was Chicken Tikka Masala, which I had my reservations about. More like a paste, than chunks of chicken in a curry sauce, it lacked any spice or heat. Rather like Indian baby food.



Christian, one of the founding Hummus Bros, was however brilliant at taking feedback and actively suggested trying the beef with guacamole if that was more to our liking. Excellent suggestion as that ended up being my favourite combination, leaning more towards a Mexican palate.


Sides at Hummus Bros are almost as big as the main courses, and we're not complaining! We tried the smoky aubergine, which may have had a tad much of tahini drizzled on top. Erm, it's not like that wasn't in the hummus already...


Falafels are always a crowd pleaser and done nicely with chunky tzatziki and fresh salad.



Me being a chilli fan, very much welcomed the tangy green chilli sauce which is an optional accompaniment, which went perfectly with my beef and guacamole combo.


Sweet caramelised mushrooms was a good pairing to the rich hummus, though could have been charred more. Then again I am a smoky-tasting, barbeque lover.



My only real sticking point were the desserts. Malabi, which I interpret as a Middle Eastern pannacotta, was too set, too sweet from the date honey sauce and with no real balance of flavour. Baklava, which I usually adore, was again too sweet and stodgy instead of being fluffy and light.


The hummus itself is rather creamy and rich, it's more like a sesame butter! Really full in flavour, it's a cracking idea to place toppings to offset it's velvety texture. Interestingly, it's not made with garlic or lemon, like how it's done traditionally, in case customers are allergic to garlic.

Christian and Ronen were professional, cheerful, open about receiving constructive criticism and mingling with their customers. I fully support their manifesto in offering a fresh twist to lunch time nibbles, wanting to cater to numerous "-free" diets and having a fun time in getting the word out there. At an average of £4-8 for a main dish, which includes your pitta, and circa £3.50 for a side, I think it's definitely worth a try. And a try again.


Hummus Bros on Urbanspoon

2 comments:

conmei said...

Never thought of meat toppings on the hummus - that was really yummy!!!

Hungry Female said...

Mmmmm chunky beefffff HF xx