Maramia Cafe

HOME to a thriving street life of Moroccan snack stalls, Portuguese cafes and a bric-a-brac market, the Golborne Road captures the capital's bustling diversity in miniature.

Perched at the top of the street, Maramia Cafe is one of the jewels in North Kensington's crown.

Overseen by the ever-friendly Mohammed Zomlot and his family, the cafe is London's first Palestinian eaterie, adding a unique menu to the already mixed offerings of the area.

This is a place for those who have tired of the over-priced and over-crowded swank of Portobello and draws food lovers from across North Ken's social spectrum; you are just as likely to find yourself sitting next to Sunday brunch regular David Cameron, as a table of local Ethiopian businessmen.

The Zomlot family, who are from the Gaza Strip, are proud to bring specialities from their corner of the Middle East to customers whose view of Palestine has been shaped by years of negative news coverage.

And they do so at affordable prices.

The Palestinian breakfast served from 8am onwards costs £4.50 - a snip for the array of

humus, felafel, Mabshoura (layers of potato, with onions and parsley), Lijja (cauliflower, wheat, eggs) and salad.

As a vegetarian option it is about as a clean, light and refreshing alternative to the stodge of a full English as you could get.

Wash it down with a glass of freshlysqueezed orange juice and you're set for a day perusing Portobello's stalls.

Maramia, which means Sage in Palestinian, is committed to providing healthy food.

The grilled fish (suyahdiyah) and chicken (kidra) courses with rice (£6.50), grilled chicken roll with pine nuts (mosokhan), fried okra with garlic and tomatoes (bam yeh bilzeit) and array of salads, all adhere to that programme.

While the weather is good, customers can sit on pavement-side tables and take part in the Golborne Road's unique street life.

Healthy, original and cheap, Maramia is the ideal stop off for those who venture the full length of the Portobello Road and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner - or just a coffee and fresh, sweet Palestinian baclawa.

Maramia Cafe

48 Golborne Road, W10

Telephone: 020-3132-3431, 0776-664-0112 e-mail: freepalestine@maramia.com open Monday to Sunday 8am-10pm