Parla

Rating: 3

We ate dinner here in October 2026.

House bread with hummus
Beef cheek croquettes
Mushroom shish
Spiced lamb with whipped feta and potato crisps
Date caramel and coffee milk pudding

On a shockingly cold spring evening we stumbled into Parla. The greeting we received was warm in a way that felt genuine. Gareth seemed stoked that we were there. The service was both a highlight and a lowlight of the evening. On one hand, Gareth was one of the rare breed of wait staff that seem like they relish their work, are having a good time, and really want you to have a good time. Cherish Gareth, Parla. On the other hand, Gareth is only one man, and tending to the whole front of house on a busy night was simply too much. After our mains our dirty dishes sat on our table for a full fifteen minutes at least, despite us having stacked them up and everything. We had literally just decided to abandon the notion of dessert and leave, when Gareth showed up to offer dessert menus, right as we were reaching for our coats. We also had an empty water carafe for much of the night, and weren’t offered a second round of drinks.

Three of our five dishes were impeccable. The house bread with hummus was incredibly flavourful - it seemed like too much hummus for that amount of bread, but after tasting it we absolutely ladled it on. The croquettes were pure perfection, as was the lamb. Unfortunately the mushroom shish was too same-y in texture and one-note in flavour, being too harissa-forward. As to the dessert, a date puree is not a date caramel sir. Rant alert: dates are not caramel. The bliss ball industry and health movement have tried to convince us that dates and caramel are interchangeable, and some people (including Parla apparently), are buying this utter bull honky. A date is a date. Maybe it’s caramelly as far as dried fruits go. But is it caramelly like caramel? No.

Despite our complaints, we don’t want to give the impression that we weren’t impressed by Parla. Quite the opposite. We’re tough on you because we care. You knocked on the four-door tonight Parla. And while you were denied entry this time, on another night we fully believe you could walk through with confidence, Gareth leading the way.

Bookings recommended.