Chicken with pomegranate molasses and orange iced tea

One of the areas of food and drink pairing I’m always trying to crack is soft drinks - so it’s good to find an inspired match that really hits the spot - not too sweet as most soft drinks are for me.

It was at a restaurant called Honey & Co I’ve been meaning to go to for a while - a tiny cafe in Warren Street that serves the most delicious middle-eastern inspired food. (The owners both used to work at Ottolenghi.)

This was my main course - a gorgeous colourful dish of chicken marinated in pomegranate molasses with cracked wheat, pistachios and pomegranate seeds.

The iced tea had been spiked, I suspect from the colour, with fresh pomegranate juice and was served with a slice of blood orange and a (slightly over-generous) dash of orange flower water. Rein that back just a touch and you’d have the perfect drink.

It was also great with my starter of shaved fennel, blood orange and feta seasoned with Turkish chilli flakes (I would guess) and a pinch of zatar (a mix of thyme, oregano, sesame seeds and sumac).

I really don’t think wine or beer would have been better.