Knightsbridge's Harrods, to me, is reserved for Christmastime activities; I love to browse around its various chambers ranging from Willy Wonka-style food displays to perfumes lit up like an aquarium. Yet today I was visiting for dinner at Mediterranean Grill by Assembly, a restaurant founded by ‘Chef Tommy’ AKA Greek-born Athanasios Kargatzidis who’s also behind Baron in Beirut and a Portuguese eatery Costa Fria in Ericeira. Familiar with gourmet palates and global cuisine, he’s fused the two to create a mezze menu inspired by Levantine flavours, designed for sharing.

Chef Tommy is the brains behind the Mediterranean Grill By Assembly menu. 

It took my friend and I a fair while to navigate the department store maze to find the restaurant within the Grade II-listed dining hall; the elegant brasserie seemed far removed from the retail emporium until you saw a forest green flash of a shopping bag in the corner of your eye. It featured interiors from David Collins Studio consisting of grand, glossy pillars, ambient lighting nodding to the 1920s and decorative tiling.

We took our seats at shiny marble tables in the far right of the room before setting our eyes on the menu. As instructed, we ordered a selection of dishes to devour between us starting with some labneh (£15) topped with grilled cucumber and harissa olives. To dip, we tore apart a warm piece of pita (£4.50) crusted with melted spiced butter. Notes of cinnamon filled our nostrils then made their way into the corners of our mouths before being cooled by thick dollops of strained yoghurt - I couldn’t get any heat from the harissa but a sharp tang from olive chutney, that was also whipped into the dip, smacked my lips.

Is that the roar of your belly or the 1920s? Stepping into the dining hall feels like going back in time. 

Not before long, our other side arrived along with three items from the grill - an amount we worried about being excessive but it became quickly evident that it was just right. I tucked into scallop and roe (£44), drizzled in miso butter and shoyu, served in its shell. They were presented in a trio and each one melted on my tongue, tasted incredibly meaty and was elevated by the rich notes from the miso. My friend opted for the grilled lamb chops (£45) which she attested didn’t have as much meat as she would’ve liked on them, but were delicious all the same.

We shared some grilled chicken skewers (£32) in cider vinegar and herb chutney and paired them with truffle chips (£13.50), mainly because it seemed like a very ‘Harrods thing to do’. The former wasn’t particularly a standout dish but still tasted fresh and garlicky - I couldn’t help but feel as though the chips could’ve done with a little bit more seasoning although the lack of did help the subtle, earthy flavour of the sparingly dusted truffle coming through.

Succulent steak, pretty scallops... you name it, it's all here with a glass of bubbles.

Our dinner was washed down with 175ml glasses of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc (£18 each) and a cheeky Coke Zero on my end (£4.95 each) - we were ready to call it a night when our arms were twisted by the very waiter who insisted we try both the Basbousa (£9.50), a dessert made up of semolina cake, custard, cream and candied walnuts, and the chocolate truffle tart (£9.50) decorated with sesame halva, creme fresh and a scattering of pistachios.

As someone who doesn’t have a sweet tooth, I felt immediately wired to the walls as soon as I took a bite out of the ornate layered Basbousa and felt the layers of sugar dissolve into my tongue; like I had enough evidence in a spoonful alone to challenge the fact that sugar highs don't exist. The rich, thick tart encased in a caramel-coloured crumb, on the other, hand was the complete opposite of the syrupy flavour of the Basbousa and was a welcomed change.

We left feeling incredibly full which was refreshing in the world of small plates, and once the rush of the dessert subsided, were left to contemplate comfortably about how socially acceptable it would be to return and see how many plates we could mop up with pita.

The DesignMyNight Digest

Mediterranean Grill by Assembly in London is a restaurant you’d be fortunate to find among seven others in the historic dining hall, and while the Eastern Mediterranean spread does a terrific job of transporting your tastebuds across the ocean, you can’t help but notice you’re eating in one of the busiest department stores in the world at all times, particularly when the prices are also reflective of its whereabouts. To me, this isn't ideal for an everyday meal but, location aside, I had a delicious dinner, enjoyed the sharing plate element to it and now wish to cover everything in spiced butter.

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