Once upon a time, seeking out Middle East/Lebanese food meant heading down into darkened cellars around the Edgware Road. Here only men ever seemed to be present, and the waiters were not great at helping out English speakers. The food though was usually worth it.
Time passed and Lebanese food became literally lighter, now to be found in bright, cheerful, restaurants like Comptoir Libanais where the staff were helpful, the food lively and the diners mixed.
Born in Beirut, Chef Jad Youssef was part of that wave, working at Lebanese restaurant Fakhreldine and founding Yalla Yalla in 2009. In 2020 he opened Lebnani with his wife Aga.
Reigate is a pretty market town with a broad high street and well-heeled locals. Lebnani, on the High Street, is a cosy spot, small but not tiny, and with the welcoming smell and the heat of the Al Mashwa charcoal grill in the open kitchen at the back.
It’s busy for lunchtime, there are some ladies who look like they may ride horses and be married to successful estate agents, and other local types. Tables are quite close together, but I like that cafe feel.
Water, served with ice and a slice, is a good indication of good intentions, as is the bowl of seriously tasty mixed olives, Chef Jad ad is all about doing things right, sticking to family recipes and using herbs and grains from Lebanon with his meat coming from responsible farms in Surrey and Sussex.
We lap up hummus that is impossibly delicious and creamy, such a difference to the grainy slop that supermarkets sell. Warm, fresh pittas make perfect scoops, the tiny drizzle of top quality EVOO adding a warm, peppery, note.
Falafel I have eaten everywhere from Dubai to Glastonbury with mixed results, especially the latter. Lebnanis are some of the best so far. Made, I think, with both chickpeas and broad (fava) beans they have the green glow inside that only comes from copious amounts of fresh herbs. Not a hint of excess oil, just a crunch you could hear back in London, aided by the coating of toasty sesame seeds. We love the accompanying pickled turnip, pickled chili, the tahini topping and the sharp, vinegary salad
Another well known dish is Lamb Kibbeh, ground lamb, brown bulgur wheat, onions, and spices. Each torpedo is sat on a bed of cool creamy cucumber labneh and well sprinkled with crisp salady things, and pesky pomegranate seeds (pesky for me, as they get in my teeth). The kibbeh are possibly a little oversalted, but otherwise delicious.
As usual I have overordered on mezze, I could go home content, but meat must be eaten. The Beirut Mushakal to share offers a bit of everything r – lamb kofta, chicken taouk, lahem meshoue and all with beity rice on the side.
The koftas are perfect, singed outside and moist inside, with spicing that lifts flavours without overpowering the meat, a dab of proper harissa (not the tube stuff) adds a pleasant tingle. The Chicken taouk has been long-marinated in yoghurt, spices and garlic to give tender meat rich in flavour and generously kissed by charcoal smoke.
The lahem meshoue is very good meat, but a tiny bit tough. The knives supplied are not really up to the job and the plates on the bare table top spin about as we cut. Still, nothing to worry about, it’s all good. We ladle toum,a garlic sauce from the Levant into the perfect basmati – long ‘witches fingers’ and glossy with ghee, and fight over the bit of pitta the meats rested on, now well soaked in flavour.
It’s all very good and very filling. I gamely try to eat the last of the lovely koftas, but I know I really shouldn’t. Such a waste. The wine from Mount Lebanon is finished and thoughts turn to dessert.
Baklava I love. My mother waitressed in an East End Greek restaurant long before I was born and forever retained a love of the Greek version, still seeking it out decades later. It’s a bit too sweet for me though, so we share Muhalabia, a Middle Eastern milk pudding flavoured with rose water and topped with pistachios. For something so simple, it is quite fabulous. The scent of rose water is for me the scent of the middle east and we lapped it up.
I had a look at Jad Youssef’s new cookbook, which was perched on the counter, before we left and it’s now on my Xmas present list.
If you want to gift yourself, head to Reigate for a Lebanese treat
11 Church Street Reigate, RH2 0AA