This new Lebanese restaurant in the heart of Reigate comes courtesy of Yalla Yalla founder Jad Youssef and serves dishes inspired by the cooking of Youssef’s Beirut childhood. Lebnani offers a selection of mezze dishes, larger plates and dishes from the grill, and uses locally sourced ingredients where possible.
First impressions might lead you to believe that Lebnani offers an impersonal dining experience thanks to its relatively minimalist interior – pale green and grey shades coat the room and the odd plant dangles from the walls. Look a bit closer though and you’ll see a few framed photographs, as well as a mishmash of ornaments, providing references to Youssef’s childhood home – a nicely intimate touch.
The lengthy menu begins with mezze dishes and it’s suggested that two people should share three or four. These range from dips such as hummus and labné to grilled halloumi, spiced fried potatoes and rice-stuffed vine leaves. Most of the menu is veggie-friendly and if you want to stay vegetarian with the larger plates, moussaka and roasted cauliflower with tahini are both good shouts.
Meaty offerings from the grill include chicken wings marinated in toum, lemon and pomegranate molasses, and spiced minced lamb shoulder with tahini, all of which come served with khobez bread and salad. On weekdays there’s also a great set lunch deal, which includes pitta, hummus, rice and a choice of three main dishes from the grill for just £11.50.
Wash the food down with a fascinating wine list which features almost exclusively Lebanese wines, with the odd bottle from Greece and North Macedonia thrown in for good measure.
With Yalla Yalla, Youssef brought a welcome contemporary take on Middle Eastern cooking to central London, informed by the first-hand experience of someone with an in-depth knowledge of the cuisine. Lebnani proves that Youssef has lost none of his determination to bring the cooking of his birthplace to a wider audience.