Ladeed at The Pilgrm
We’re excited to unveil the first chapter of our 2026 guest chef residency programme with the launch of LADEED, the dining concept from North African chef and cookbook author Nargisse Benkabbou. Opening on 4 February and running until 7 March, the pop-up will take over our first-floor lounge, bringing a bold and contemporary expression of Moroccan cooking to our Paddington home.
LADEED — meaning “delicious” in Moroccan Arabic — is a deeply personal project for Nargisse, rooted in tradition while looking firmly forward. Her cooking celebrates the traditional flavours of Morocco through a modern lens. Born and raised in Brussels in a Moroccan family, Nargisse trained at Leiths School of Food and Wine before going on to teach, host pop-ups and serve as Executive Chef at L’Mida in Marrakech. She is the author of Casablanca, with her second cookbook, MADAQ, set for release this April.
LADEED perfectly captures the spirit of our incubator kitchen programme — a platform designed to give emerging chefs the freedom to explore new ideas, develop menus and share the stories behind their food in an intimate, welcoming setting. Previous residencies have included Mary San Pablo’s Filipino-British concept LUTO and Keshia Sakarah’s celebrated Caribbean project Caribe, and we’re proud to continue this journey with Nargisse.
Guests joining us for LADEED can expect dishes built around vibrant Maghrebi ingredients such as preserved lemons, saffron, olives, tomatoes and fresh herbs. The menu (see here) begins with snacks including mixed pickles, souk olives, ras el hanout nuts and freshly made m’simen bread with cultured harissa butter. Small plates follow, from zaalouk with aubergine and sundried tomatoes to black garlic j’ben, a soft cheese finished with sesame seeds, and merguez serrouda — chickpeas paired with spiced merguez mince and harissa chilli crisp.
At the heart of the menu is a spiced lamb maqfoul with jammy onions and tomatoes, served alongside green couscous, green beans “bil zeit” with tomato, paprika and cumin, and mint saikook, a barley couscous with buttermilk. Dessert brings a playful Moroccan twist to the classic Dame Blanche, with vanilla ice cream, green tea and mint-infused chocolate.
LADEED will be open on 4 February until 7 March, Wednesday to Saturday evenings from 6–9.30pm, with seating in our first-floor lounge and terrace dining from spring. This is an intimate, limited-run residency, and bookings are now open here.
