Of Mezze and Muhalabia: A Review of Lebnani, Reigate

At the end of October, New Wave was invited to Lebnani restaurant in Reigate, headed up by chef Jad Youssef (an alum of Celebrity Masterchef UK, and founder of Yalla Yalla in Soho), and centred around a mission of preserving authentic Lebanese cooking. Inspired by the flavours he grew up with as a child in Beirut, chef Jad’s dishes at Lebnani — now an acclaimed Two AA Rosette restaurant — form the basis of a collection of 84 dishes detailed in his recently released debut cookbook, aptly titled Lebnani. 

After hopping off the short train from Clapham Junction, we arrived in quaint Reigate and made our way to the restaurant, which was beautifully decorated with Lebanese mosaics and calligraphic prints, and lines of jars and bottles filled with an assortment of preserves adorning the bar. We were warmly received by Dorotea and her team, who first treated us to a selection of punchy black and green Lebanese olives and some of Lebnani’s signature drinks: the delicate and sweet Fig & Honey Prosecco cocktail, and a delightfully tart apple and ginger Lebnani Lemonade.

Shortly after, a smorgasbord of delicious mezze landed on our table, including the classic Creamy Hummus, warm Lamb Kibbé, and the zingy Beirut Fattoush Salad. The latter was a personal favourite: punctuated with pomegranate seeds and a perfect balance of the fresh, tart flavours and crispy textures of an authentic fattoush salad.

The mains which followed were equally excellent. Our team tried two of Lebnani’s delectable charcoal-grilled meats, known as ‘Al Mashwa’ in Arabic: the Lahem Meshoué, a lightly spiced grilled lamb with tahini, and the Shish Taouk, cubed and grilled chicken marinated in red pepper paste and toum, both of which were served with ‘beity’ (house) rice. Both dishes were a delight and were well and truly savoured; the lamb in particular had the tenderness of a fillet steak and a sumptuous flavour profile.

Our night came to a close with a portion of muhalabia for dessert. Analogous to panna cotta, muhalabia is a chilled and thickened milk pudding, flavoured with delicate rosewater and finished with a topping of crushed pistachios and a sprinkling of rose petals. The dessert was light, fragrant, and creamy, and a wonderful way to draw a truly delicious meal to an end.

You can enjoy the authentic, fresh flavours of Lebnani at home through their selection of deliverable food hampers, or indeed by reading and drawing inspiration from chef Jad’s new cookbook. But even better would be to head down to Reigate and experience their delightful Lebanese cooking for yourself!