Tony grew up in the kitchen where his love for food developed, with his mother and grandmother always cooking delicious meals for him and his family at their home. This love of food and his upbringing is what drives his ambition to share the unique food and culture from Lebanon and the Middle East with the rest of the world.


Within the “souk” feel of the restaurant there is also a real “souk” (market), created by Tony to help guests find hard to find ingredients which are essential to make Middle Eastern food. These include spic’s such as Sumac, Zataar, or Orange Blossom, Rose Water, Tahina, and sweet treats such as Nougat and Baklawa. There is also homeware and goodies and handmade bags which are made by woman in local villages. For those who want to cook Lebanese food for their family and friends, there are two cookbooks, written by Tony and they have recently launched their third highly successful cookbook: Feasts from the Middle East . The book aims to enable guests to create a taste of the Middle East in their own kitchen at home.  (Shhh, don't tell Todd, but I ordered one from Amazon!)


The menu is made of recipes which Middle Eastern and Lebanese mothers use at home including Tony’s mother. Comptoir is a place that serves food all day from breakfast until dinner. It is a restaurant where everyone can eat casually and the food is served with warm and friendly hospitality, just like back home in the Middle-East and North Africa. Breakfast is an important meal in the Arab culture, the menu includes dishes such as Shakshuka - a classic dish made up of slow cooked tomatoes, red onions and peppers mixed with parsley, coriander and garlic. Topped with a fried egg and crumbled feta and served with pita. Alternatively , Man’ousha flat bread or full Lebanese breakfast.


The all day menu includes a huge variety of different dishes from a large selection of hot and cold mezze which are ideal for a quick snack or to share with friends and family. All the usual dips, salads and dishes are also available, from Baba Ghanuj to Marinated Jawaneh - Chargrilled marinated chicken wings with garlic, lemon & pomegranate molasses. Warm Lebanese wraps (served with a Comptoir salad and pickles) are especially popular, as are the Marinated Grills and Tagines.


No Lebanese meal is complete without something sweet there is a selection of Baklawa and Lebanese desserts, which are delicate, fragrant and delicious, such as Dark Chocolate Orange and Cardamom Cake. Refreshing homemade lemonades such as Romana - orange blossom water and pomegranate lemonade and Rosa - rose, lemon and lime lemonade, as well as Fresh Rose Mint Tea , served in a silver teapot are the perfect accompaniments to the meal as well as freshly squeezed juices, cocktails and a selection of Lebanese wines and beers, specially imported from the Bekaa Valley.

We were really spoilt for choice.  They offer a variety of drinks for their customers.  Hot drinks such as teas, coffees, chocolates (both European and Middle Eastern choices) along with a variety of wines, beers, spirits, cocktails and cold drinks.  We don't drink alcohol, tea or coffee, but were keen to try some authentic Home-made Lebanese Lemonades.

(Sorry we had taken a bite before I took the photo)

Lamb Kibbeh (3 pieces) (£6.25)  - Minced lamb cracker wheat parcels, filled with lamb, pine nuts and onion, served with a mint yogurt sauce.




Tony started his entrepreneurial flair from a young age selling lemonades and sandwiches outside his home on the street in Algeria. This drive inspired him to come to London with very little and grow the restaurant business that he has today. The authentic journey of flavours from the regions where Tony spent his childhood and where he still regularly travels now, continuing to source ingredients and decorations that will enhance the intoxicating eating experience of the Middle East.

The food is available to eat in the restaurant or to take home back to the office or to your home. Takeaway food is part and parcel of Middle Eastern culture and so Comptoir Libanais s proud to offer this service to guests at the Cheshire Oaks restaurant. Not only this, but the team will soon be launching an exclusive delivery service with Deliveroo . Comptoir Libanais will, therefore, provide the perfect option for eating at home or for picking up on the way back from work.

The restaurant also offers a large dedicated children’s menu with an activity pack and colouring in section to keep the little ones entertained. Priced at £5.95 it includes a main course, drink and dessert and includes favourites such as Halloumi Halloumi platter with falafel and hommos and Chicken wings with hommos and Lebanese fries.


About Comptoir Libanais 
There are 23 restaurants across London and around the country, including Manchester, Bath, Leeds, Reading, Birmingham, Oxford and Exeter. Comptoir Libanais also has a branch in Holland and is in the process of expanding further internationally, with restaurants in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Founded in 2008 by Tony Kitous, the name means Lebanese Counter, as it is a place where everyone can eat casually and enjoy Middle Eastern food, served with warm and friendly hospitality, just like back home.

www.comptoirlibanais.co.uk

 

I was recently asked to participate in the Sunvil Supper Club for the month of October. For this month’s Sunvil Supper Club, they teamed up with the Swedish Tourist board to use one of their recipes to celebrate one of Sweden’s most famous culinary exports . . . the cinnamon bun.  

 

I have a confession to make.  I am not a great yeast bread baker. In fact, I would be the first one to tell you that I make great doorstops . . . but I do not make great bread.  This recipe did look however, like something I could rise to.  (Every pun intended!)

 

I realized when I first began to work through the recipe though . . . 25g of yeast . . . it was far too much, it was almost half the tin of my granulated yeast.  I decided that the recipe must be referring to fresh yeast, which obviously would be quite different.  And so I measured out 1 1/2 tsp of yeast which is what is in most packets of  dried yeast, or 7g.  I also added a bit of sugar to the milk and warmed it a bit so that it would get started properly.

 

Then when I was kneading it together, the dough was very, very stiff . . . and so I decided to add a bit more milk to it until I had a dough which I felt was the right consistency.  Firm, but not too solid . . . and neither too sticky.  Firm and smooth.

 

It took my dough roughly twice the recommended time in the original recipe to rise to what I thought it should in the first rising.  I was very nervous about this, wondering if I had done something wrong . . . it was a nail biting, on the edge moment, but I persevered.

 

Rolled it out as required, spread it with butter, yada, yada, yada  . . . I had severe doubts if I would be very successful with these buns, but in for a penny in for a pound.

 

For the second rising, I put them into my oven on the dough rise program.  I still wasn't sure if these were going to turn out.  Call it a lack of faith in my yeast baking prowess . . . call it whatever you want.  I am not very confident when it comes to baking with yeast.

 

Brushed with egg and sprinkled with some candy pearl cake sprinkles . . . I baked them and wowsa, wowsa . . . I was so surprised.  These turned out really nicely!  Perhaps not quite as light and fluffy as the ones you buy in the shops . . . but quite, quite edible.

 

Todd ate three while they were still warm with his mid-afternoon cuppa . . . I feel a lot more confident about my yeast bread baking prowess.



I wonder what they will be baking in November??? Hmmm . . . the Sunvil Supper Club.  I'll have to check back to see what they are doing.  Fingers cross no yeast is involved!



*Swedish Cinnamon Buns*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

A Swedish national favourite!  Fabulous!

Wheat Dough:
25g yeast (I am assuming this is fresh yeast.  I used
1 1/2 tsp of dried yeast)
75g butter (5 1/4 TBS)
250ml of milk (1 cup)
50g of granulated sugar (generous 4 TBS)
pinch salt
1 tsp ground  cardamom
600g wheat flour (6 cups)

Filling:
100g butter, softened (scant 1/2 cup)
100g sugar (generous 1/2 cup)
4 tsp cinnamon

Glaze:
1 free range egg
2 TBS water
pearl sugar (I used sugar crystals)

In a bowl, mix the yeast and a few tablespoons of the milk.  Leave for a few moments, whilst you melt the butter and combine with the remainder of the milk.  Add in the yeast mixture, and then the sugar, salt, cardamom and flour.  Knead the mixture until the dough is firm and smooth.  (either in a machine using a bread hook or by hand)  Cover the dough with a tea towel and allow to rise for 30 minutes at room temperature.  (I had to add more milk to make the mixture of the right consistency.  I shaped it into a smooth ball after kneading and placed it into a greased bowl, turning it to grease the top before covering it and leaving it in a warm place.  Mine was left for one hour to rise.)

Once risen, briefly knead the dough again and then roll it out to a rectangle around 3mm thick. (1/2 inch).  Carefully spread the dough with the softened butter.  Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle it all over the top of the butter.  Roll the dough up tightly along the longest edge to create a long sausage.  Slice into approximately 25 rounds, 1/2 inch thick. 

Place the rounds into paper muffin cases, with the cut edge facing upwards.  Place onto a large baking sheet.  Cover with a tea towel and allow to raise again for another hour, in a warm place until doubled in size.

Once risen, beat together the egg and water and brush the tops of the buns carefully with this mixture.  Sprinkle with the pearl sugar (or more cinnamon) and bake in a 225*C/425*F/ gas mark 7 oven for around 10 minutes.

This humble sweet treat, more commonly known as kanelbulle in Sweden is a national favourite, and one that has been copied across many parts of the world. They have been covered with a layer of icing in Belgium and the United States, and filled with raisins in the UK, but those with a simple scattering of sugar on the top are the original Swedish favourite. Often made when guests are expected over for coffee, they have become so popular that in recent years it has been given its very own day – kanelbulle dag. Literally translated as ‘cinnamon bun day’, it is now celebrated in Sweden and around much of northern Europe each year on the 4th October.





On a more Festive note, it may only be the beginning of November, but Christmas will be here before we know it and once again, I have created a lovely little Christmas Cook-booklet just in time for the holidays, entitled Christmas In The English Kitchen. Larger than my previous booklets, this one is 47 pages, filled with lots of tasty recipes for everything from soup to nuts, lots of recipes to take you through the Holiday Season.

 

 Gifts From the Kitchen. Delicious Starters, Mains, Sides and Desserts from my very own holiday kitchen. English Folklore and Traditions for the Holidays. Interspersed throughout are twinklings of my own artwork and this one even has several photographs of the food included. Inspiring Quotes, Free Printables and everything you need to know about  the Christmas Celebrations in an English Kitchen.

Available for the same low price as my previous cook-booklets at only £5, this delightful little booklet will be delivered within 24 hours of receipt of your payment as a downloadable PDF, printable booklet.  All who have purchased my past booklets, and this one have been well pleased, and when my readers are happy . . .  that makes me happy too!!

 

For more information and a buy now button, please look HERE.