Vibrant Lebanese cuisine with a casual canteen feel
New in 2017, Comptoir Libanais emerged as an exciting addition to the Queens Street Dining Quarter of Exeter, and has been thriving ever since.
As strangers to Lebanese cuisine, Matt and I were keen to try it out.
We went for an evening meal and were warmly greeted at the door. Inside, Comptoir immediately strikes as a colourful and lively space, with walls adorned with vintage movie posters of Arabic actress, Sirine Jamal al Dine.
Sat in a corner booth, we could watch the world walk by on one side and see the Souk shop on the other; a Middle Eastern marketplace selling everything the restaurant has to offer, from their all-famous harissa paste to pomegranate molasses.
Sidenote: As we visited fresh off it’s launch, the prices at the time seemed incredibly reasonable. Since, however, Comptoir have become aware of their captive audience and increased the price of most mains by 1 or 2 pounds. However, if anything, the prices now are appropriately matched to portion size and quality.
Starting with drinks, I went for the Roza lemonade (lemon and lime with rose syrup) (£2.95) that was well-balanced and not as sweet as I had feared and Matt opted for a traditional Almaza, Lebanese beer (£3.95).
The service was friendly and particularly helpful for newbies to Middle Eastern dishes. For a combination of hot and cold, we started with the Mezze platter for 2 (now £18.99).
This comprised of vegetarian mezze including hommos, baba ghanuj (smoked aubergine dip), tabbouleh (finely chopped parsley, tomatoes, mint and spring onions), falafel, beetroot labne (natural yogurt with betroot and garlic), flatbread & pickles.
If it sounds like a lot, that’s because it really was.
The Mezze platter for 2 does what it says on the tin: serve the equivalent of 2 main meals. The fault was only our own in overestimating how much we could eat but regardless, the flavours were fresh and unlike any other served up in Exeter.
Before ordering, we were unsure about some individual mezze, but altogether the flavours harmonised into a Middle Eastern delight. I was particularly fond of the tabbouleh, while Matt’s favourite was as simple as the hommos and freshly baked flatbread.
Somehow, we managed to continue to our main course. While Comptoir’s menu offers a wide range from flavoursome vegetarian tagines to pomegranate roasted chicken, Matt and I are birds of a feather and were both desperate to try the kofte grills.
I ordered the Marinated Chicken Taouk (now £11.45), grilled chicken breast with garlic & thyme, and Matt ordered the Mixed Grill (now £14.50), a selection of lamb and chicken kofte and chicken taouk.
Both dishes came with vermicelli-fried rice, natural yogurt, a radish and tomato side salad and fiery harissa and cool garlic mayonnaise.
It was absolutely divine.
Once again, the portion sizes were generous (which is what I like to see) and both our grills were wonderfully tender, complimented by the sheer heat of harissa and the cooling respite from the yogurt.
We enjoyed it so much that Comptoir has become a favourite to visit and to order from Deliveroo – (I can whole-heartedly recommend the lamb and halloumi burger served with batata harra, small potatoes spiced with coriander, garlic and chilli).
Despite the slight price increase, we have yet to be disappointed. Comptoir Libanais really is a unique restaurant offering vibrant new cuisine in a sea of catch-all Italian chains.
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