Maramia Cafe

“Served us some nice lamb and rice but fleeced us. Spoke to the manager/ owner about a booking for a big celebration with 20-30 guests including kids. She offered us a private space (basement) and plenty of menu options. Drinks (alcoholic/ non alcoholic) not included so guests could pay separately at the bar. £50/ sounded a bit steep but it’s not easy to book a private space in London to suit a range of tastes and ages, and of course we are committed to Palestinian solidarity, so we booked without further scrutiny. That varied menu shared earlier did not materialise and we got (1) salad, (2) two types of white dips, (3) some bread that arrived late, and (4) two rice dishes - one lamb and one chicken. Good quantities. But no dessert. And then when the time came to settle the bill we see that a service charge has been added (not mentioned in any of the conversations before/ after the booking). So basically quite a high price for salad and rice with some meat. We also paid £££ separately for pricey drinks (including lemonade and cola) and there was an artificial scarcity of tap water. Food quality was high and quantity generous but if you are making a booking for a pre fixed menu please do ensure that you know what you are (not) paying for. We did express our surprise that nearly £60/ per head means no dessert and no drink but they said we should have booked a more expensive menu. We left feeling embarrassed about inviting our guests to what felt like an incomplete celebration meal.”