Open daily 8am–8pm
Comptoir Libanais is all about fuss-free and affordable dining. In French it means Lebanese counter and the Chelsea branch is a restaurant-cum-café-cum-delicatessen that is beautifully decorated with a relaxed ambience.
It was unseasonably warm for October on the evening that my friend and I visited the Middle Eastern eatery, tucked away in a corner of the pristine Duke of York Square. A handful of people were taking advantage of the half-baked Indian summer by enjoying their meals at the tables and chairs set up in the courtyard.
Bright and beautiful stained glass runs around the restaurant’s exterior and embroidered handbags sit upon shelves in the windows, evocative of the bustling souks. We were greeted by the pretty face of a woman with a yellow flower in her hair smiling at us from upon the back wall; the mural portrays Sirine, we were told – the chain’s muse.
We perused the menu while sipping frozen lemonade and vodka lemonade cocktails, both infused with the fresh flavours of mint, apple and ginger, which cleansed our palates in preparation for the feast ahead. Meanwhile, our waitress was attentive, friendly and more than happy to offer recommendations.
Founded by Tony Kitous, the concept behind Comptoir Libanais is to serve up food that can be enjoyed every day of the week and, as such, the fare is simple and relaxed. We started with a selection of mezze: hommos with pita bread, lamb kibbeh served with mint yoghurt and grilled halloumi steak. The latter was perfectly salted with just the right amount of bite, the lamb kibbeh crumbly and juicy and the hommos scattered with fresh chickpeas.
We chose the lamb kofta tagine to share for our main. It was too lukewarm for my liking but flavoursome and there was more than enough for two. A mountain of light and fluffy couscous topped with seasoned lamb meatballs, mixed vegetables in a tomato sauce and mint yoghurt left the pair of us almost too full for dessert.
However, who can resist the sticky crispness of baklawa? The carefully-crafted pastries are notoriously hard to bake to perfection but the results speak for themselves. We tucked into the selection of five pieces: bokaj (layered filo pastry with cashew nuts), assabee (cashew filled flaky pastry), kolwashkur (mixed nuts sweet pastry), hadath (walnut filled sweet flaky pastry) and walnut maamul (walnut filled sweet semolina). Scrumptiously nutty and sweet, these were a delicious end to the meal, but if you can’t quite manage pudding it’s well worth taking a batch home.
The only downside to the evening was that the restaurant closes at 8pm because of its location, although we were certainly not turned out immediately when the clock struck the hour. The other four Comptoir Libanais branches remain open later and we could have happily spent longer soaking up the relaxed atmosphere and topping up our drinks. Nevertheless, the experience was a lovely one and this is the perfect choice for a lazy lunch or a laid-back supper after a day of shopping on the King’s Road.
Comptoir Libanais, 53-54 Duke of York Square, Chelsea, London, SW3; lecomptoir.co.uk; 02076571961
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