Near Harvey Nics, an authentic Lebanese café with good outside seating and offering “very good mezze”; the interior, though, could do with “a bit of a refurb’”.
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For the critic, this “curious and refreshingly artless” Lebanese stands out favourably against the “pomposity” of its Knightsbridge competitors. A “wry, grizzled bunch” of staff replace the usual “sycophantic waiters”, and the “utilitarianism” of a “small, square room” provides relief from “gaudily Arabesque” interiors. It is “unashamedly committed to its food”, which turns out to be “delectable”.
Matthew Norman (3rd August 2009)
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