ABINGDON has taken me on quite the culinary world tour of late.
First an authentic Italian at Limoncello and now a Lebanese feast at Mezzeh House.
Food review: Breakfast means breakfastAfter a day out getting rained on in Oxford my friend and I were in need of a pick-me-up and inspired by rave reviews on Trip Advisor I suggested the Abingdon restaurant, which is based in a bright red building in the Square.
Despite passing plenty of busy restaurants on the way up High Street, things did not get off to a promising start when we entered and it was practically deserted.
There was a distinct lack of atmosphere and apart from one other table, who soon left, the place was empty throughout our meal.
Luckily, the food and service far exceeded their surroundings and I remain baffled why the place wasn’t filled with customers.
We were quickly met by a friendly waitress who, clearly recognising we didn’t know our tabouleh from our shawarma, recommended the set menu with three courses for £20 each.
This proved a wise choice as for the next hour, a bit like magic, dishes of delicious Lebanese food periodically appeared and we completely forgot we had the restaurant to ourselves.
Food review: solid but unspectacular Italian had pleasing varietyBeing called Mezzeh House it was no surprise to find the starters were the star of the show and we were presented with a mix of hot and cold dishes, including a homemade houmous and moreish baba ganoush plus flat bread.
Falafel, rice-stuffed vine leaves and little lamb kebabs were all full of flavour but the stand out was, somewhat surprisingly, fried cauliflower.
I have always viewed cauliflower as broccoli without the personality but the florets packed a punch thanks to a mouth-wateringly good marinade of lemon, mint and tahini sauce.
After the dizzy heights of the starters, the main was a much simpler offering of mixed grill with salad and rice.
ALSO READ: For a real taste of Poland... head to the CotswoldsAgain the marinade was delicious though and the lamb and chicken were perfectly cooked. It wasn't a big serving but this suited us fine as the starters were too tempting not to finish.
Things came to a sweet end with a dessert of four little pieces of baklawa.
Already one of my favourite foods, the tiny squares of pastry layered with syrup and nuts were the ideal way to finish the meal.
The set menu was a great way to get an introduction to Lebanese cuisine but I am already looking forward to exploring more of the menu on my next visit.
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