insideKENT Magazine Issue 51 - June 2016 | Page 61
FOOD+DRINK
COMPTOIR LIBANAIS
I must admit, I’d never tried Lebanese food before. I’d never really even
thought about it. But then I went for dinner at Comptoir Libanais at Bluewater,
and I realised I’d been missing out my whole life. BY LISAMARIE LAMB
Comptoir Libanais
literally translates as
‘the Lebanese
counter’, and the
counter itself is the
first thing diners see
when they enter the
restaurant. This
wonderfully fragrant
counter is brimming
with exotic looking,
fresh food that the
chefs who created
it are more than
happy to talk about and explain. In fact, talking about food is a bit of a
theme at Comptoir Libanais; everyone is chatty and friendly, immediately
wanting to make you feel at ease. And it works. By the time we reached
our table, we were relaxed, at home, and excited to try the food on offer.
The main course took a lot of
thinking about; again, our wonderful
server was very pleased to go
through it all with us. In the end,
my partner chose the mixed grill
(which featured lamb kofta, chicken
kofta, chicken shish taouk and
vermicelli rice; although he did
substitute the rice for batata harra
fries – more on those later). I
decided, eventually, on the
Comptoir burger: a grilled lamb
patty in a seeded bun with harissa
mayonnaise.
There is a large and varied selection of food to tempt the taste buds. But
it’s okay – it’s not overwhelming and there is plenty of help on hand should
you need it. And really, Lebanese food is all about taking your time, enjoying
the company, and savouring the flavours, so if it does take you a while to
choose your meal, no one is going to mind.
It was good. It was all good. So
good. But those batata harra fries…
Wow. The bite-sized chunks of fried
potato made with just a light dusting
of salt, pepper and chilli, were crisp
on the outside and soft and fluffy
on the inside with enough of a bite
to make them possibly the most
moreish thing on the menu.
For our starter my partner and I went for the mezze sharing platter. We
opted to add a dish of grilled halloumi and another of spicy chicken wings
to complete the whole ensemble. The platter included a fabulous baba
ganush (an aubergine dip), hummus, falafel (a friend ball of chickpea and
broad beans), a lentil rice salad, cheese sambousek (small cheese-filled
pastries) and pita bread. It was quite the revelation; flavours burst from
each mouthful and although it was simple food, there was a lot to it.
For dessert we opted for the mango
and vanilla cheesecake and the
mouhalabia (a traditional Lebanese
milk pudding served with rose syrup
and toasted pistachios). This is
similar to an Italian panna cotta,
and it was creamy and delicious.
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And then, because we were
curious, we had a selection of
baklawa as well. These little
Lebanese pastries were sweet and
buttery and just right.
To finish, we had a pot of the most
exquisite rose and mint tea. It wasn’t
just the refreshing taste that made
this final course special; it was the
fun of it as well. Paul, the ebullient
manager, brought it to us on a silver
tray and he proceeded to pour the
tea from quite a height directly into
glasses which contained fresh mint
leaves. It looks like an easy thing to
do, but believe me it’s not – we
tried!
Comptoir Libanais combines
laughter, history and tradition to
make this one of the most enjoyable
and relaxing meals out we’ve had
for some time.
Comptoir Libanais
Bluewater Shopping Centre
Lower Grown Floor
DA9 9SJ
020 7657 1960
www.comptoirlibanais.com