Hummmmus

As August drew to its crappy, non sunny close, I was learning two lessons. One, if you are booking a flight and, in order to save £50 you book one that flies via Oslo, don’t. Two, if you decide not to follow that advice and book a flight from Malaga to Gatwick via Norway’s capital (taking 16 hours), it is probably best not to eat a large Double Whopper meal beforehand. Why? Because, when you finally get off the plane and go directly to work, you will feel like shit.

What Malaga airport desperately needs is a Hummus Bros. Had I gorged on pureed chickpeas with tasty toppings before embarking on my mammoth journey, I’d still have been knackered but not felt like I had mad cow disease (although some might argue you’d have to be mad cow to book the flight in the first place). Healthy fast food is not a radical idea, neither is hummus, but the novelty of putting the two together is yet to wear off (the first HB opened in Soho in 2005, Holborn in 2007 and St Pauls last year). I fell for its charms in 2009 when I worked on Southampton Row and would stagger into the Holborn branch, always hung over, every Friday.

The Soho one is bigger than Holborn and boasts table service which is always a nice touch in a fast food joint (unless you want very fast food, in which case you can go up to the counter). Knowing what to do I ordered quickly, got my order even quicker and then ate as if in some kind of legume consuming race.

Special: Italian Sausage Casserole

Sausage not all that, but had infused its fatty flavour into the ratatouille-like sauce which was delicious.

Smokey Barbequed Aubergine

This, basically baba ghanoush not blended into a dip, was extremely moreish. Particularly good smeared onto the pitta bread, topped with the sausage casserole and hummus.

Greek Salad

Fresh, crunchy, salty and a nice accompaniment to the heavier dishes.

What I really like about Hummus Bros is that they have taken a simple concept and continue to do it really well because of that fact. The bread is freshly made, the hot toppings slow-cooked and the extras (a zingy green chilli sauce, for one) full of flavour. Fingers crossed the next outpost is at Gatwick.

Hummus Bros - Soho

88 Wardour Street

W1F 0TH