le comptoir libanais, wigmore st

Bedazzling

Persephone was tricked by Hades into eating some very sweet juicy pomegranate seeds. Unfortunately for her, it bound her to the underworld for 6 months of the year...woops!

However, on approaching this lit up, glistening, colourful and bountiful Lebanese canteen/delicatessen, I can assure you that there is no need for the lord of the dead to deceive you into stepping inside and coming back for more.

Have I stepped into a Souk?

'Hmmm, what shall I have?' he thought to himself

Absolutely flooded with brights and vibrance, it's an abundance of technicolour. The Marrakech'esque atmosphere is bustling with energy, as happy, busy luncheoners are eating from their plentiful plates, and the shelves are throbbing with Middle Eastern delights. Tony Kitous is the one responsible for bringing this vitality to high street eating, to ensure that lunchtime needn't be dull or expensive.

Even better, it serves as pretty good dinner spot. I was first lured here by a friend last year. Why? We had a party of 8. Occasion? We were heading out afterwards. Major attraction? BYOB. It ticked all the right boxes. Flexible, accommodating, affordable, healthy, filling and fun. I'm lucky now that my invisalign appointments are on Harley Street, so I get to frequent Wigmore street for lunch.

With the prompted table service, the usual nail biting decision making, can be made into a more casual perusing of the menu if you decide to eat in. I got my teeth recently around a tasty lamb kofta flatbread wrap, but if wraps aren't your thing then there is plenty to choose from. Think tagines, mezze, tabbouleh and falafels. Think mint tea. Think rosewater. Got it?

Lamb kofta flatbread

Eeny, meeny...

...miny, moe.

I spy with my little eye something beginning with C...

Fun with a capital F.

Remember we eat with all the 5 senses, so it's pretty good to stay engaged and entertained. The patterns alone will give you an epileptic fit, so stay focused!

The sweets, or baklawa, on offer for pudding or tea time are incredible. I haven't been so sure of baklawa in the past, but on spying the chocolate covered one, I couldn't resist. Are any of you familiar with the Nestle Drifter bar? The biscuit wafer, caramel chew bar coated in chocolate? Well I pretty much melted after my first bite of this very proper filo pastry version. The flake, the chew, the chocolate. Ding, ding, ding, ding.

Something sweet?

Sorry, I took a bite!

So are you the least bit tempted yet?

Maybe I am the lord of the dead...or perhaps lord of the taste buds...trying to trap you into a life time of guzzling and eating.

Take a look inside, next time you walk past...

Yes, I'm looking...

 ...because there are a couple of tables with your name on them!

'Come eat with us'

Le Comptoir Libanais