Pretty large space and gets crowded fast. Only a few waiters so ordering might take time. Food is good, nothing amazing. Lots of options.

If you have a good grounding in Middle-Eastern cuisine, and want to try something you've never had before, Yalla Yalla might not end up at the top of your list. If, on the other hand, you're beginning to get to know this wonderful world of flavours, you'll find a lot to be excited about. All the popular hot and cold mezze dishes you can think of feature in the selection of small plates; this makes it much wider than the range of mains, and also more appetising to me, as there's a lot in there I've known and loved for years. Had I ordered three small plates, as I initially planned, I'd have remained solidly into my comfort zone. I have a particularly soft spot for Falafel, Samboussek (filo pastry with meat stuffing) and Kibbé (lamb and wheat parcels), all of which Yalla Yalla offer - but I knew that, if even one of those hadn't lived up to my expectations, I'd have left the restaurant in a rather grim mood.

The few dishes I had no knowledge of and no anticipation for were in the mains menu, and that's where I ended up looking. I found my match in the Batenjan Méshni: tender, perfectly cooked baby aubergines, stuffed with lamb and covered in heaps of tomato and red pepper sauce. If at the beginning I was hesitant to order a main of "baby" aubergines, worrying the portion would be too small and not filling enough, eating my way through it wiped away all my concerns. I had no room for dessert at the end, which is saying something, as I'll always try to make some when there's baklava on offer.

Satisfying as it was, the Batenjan Méshni wasn't the highlight of my meal. The portion of Baba Ghanouj my partner and I shared as a starter made my evening, before we even got to our mains. The taste of smoked aubergine is strong in this one; spread it on chunks of warm bread for maximum satisfaction. Splitting one serving into two was the sensible thing to do, given that larger mains were on their way; to tell the truth though, I liked Yalla Yalla's Baba Ghanouj so much, I could easily have eaten a whole portion by myself (and probably both the complimentary flatbreads, too).

I didn't feel as impressed with the sides: both the bread we had at the start and the rice I got with my aubergines lacked a note of flavour. A shame, on one hand: given how generous in seasoning Middle-Eastern recipes usually are, I felt Yalla Yalla missed an opportunity there. On the other hand, the richness of both the smoked aubergine dip and my main course more than made up for this; maybe the sides had to be this bland, for me to fully focus on the taste of the Baba Ghanouj and Batenjan Méshni.

Now for the language trivia: "Yalla" is the Arabic word for "hurry up". Going by the speed of service at the Fitzrovia branch, Yalla Yalla seem to have made it a strategy: our orders arrived with such reasonable timing, I almost forgot it was a crazy busy Friday night. Add to this the fact that tables are on the small, not-entirely-sure-where-all-our-plates-will-fit side, and you might forgive me for thinking the environment is designed to subtly encourage a fast turnaround. By contrast, finding a seat might take a little longer, as the place is much smaller than the crowds it regularly attracts. We did get a table within 20 minutes (a small, much welcomed miracle for a Friday night in Central London), but the wait wasn't the most comfortable, as a queue of around 15 people was squeezing in the hallway to find relief from the freezing cold outside, constantly in the way of staff members delivering orders all over the place.

I'd say that Yalla Yalla is to Middle-Eastern cuisine what Wahaca is to Mexican food. £15 each (without drinks) is slightly more than my partner and I usually spend in this kind of place, but we felt it was a fair price, given how much and how well we ate. The question is whether we'd be happy to return or not. I won't say no if a friend or colleague suggests it, but won't go out of my way to plan another visit either. London has loads more Middle-Eastern restaurants to offer, many of which look equally or more promising, and I'm not even halfway through my to-visit list.