Fakhreldine

In London’s premier league of Lebanese restaurants, Fakhreldine occupies a first-floor dining room with a view over Green Park, though the restaurant’s moody modern design, including a central lounge bar, is equally eye-catching. A menu that is lengthy without being overwhelming puts a fresh spin on the usual mezze line-up: kibbe la’kteen is parcels of deep-fried pumpkin & cracked wheat filled with onions & walnuts & served with pumpkin sauce; makanek are pan-fried lamb & cumin sausages; the lamb tartare is prepared with spring onions & mint, typical of the kitchen’s light touch with impeccably fresh ingredients, while there is thyme, sumac & sesame flat bread as a moreish side order. Main courses are available too, from roast sea bass with an onion tagine sauce to a simple mixed meat grill. Wines from Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley head an otherwise global wine list, including some pricey vintages of Chateau Musar from the 1990s.