Beit Eddine

All this long-established restaurant lacks to put it firmly on a Middle Eastern main street is a fug of cigarette smoke. Segregation by sex seems to be practised here: the men all huddle together at one table in the carpeted dining room, while black-clad be-scarfed women & children congregate at another. Traditional mezze include moutabal (a purée of aubergines & tahini), kibbeh (deep-fried balls of cracked wheat & minced lamb) & foul medames (mashed brown broad beans, seasoned with oil, lemon juice & garlic), while main courses are mostly from the charcoal grill. If you fancy something more stew-like, Wednesday’s special is lamb with spinach & coriander, while Monday offers up kibbeh cooked in yoghurt.