Optima Magazine

80 Victoria Road • Ruislip Manor • HA4 0AL • 01895 631401

Reviewed by Alan Cox

I’ve discovered another little ‘foodie heaven’ in the most unlikely of places. Nestled in (let’s face it) not the smartest of high streets, is Cedar Tree, a new Lebanese Restaurant which opened just four months ago. The fresh interior has been thoughtfully designed, with photos of the Lebanon on the walls, and a palette of soothing green pastel colours that cleverly evokes a light airy space.

Appetising aromas from the char grill greeted us, along with a friendly welcome; within moments, with a terrific glass of Lebanese red wine in my hand, I was confident I was going to enjoy my evening.

Lebanese cuisine is really all about that char grill (more of that later) and mezze-style eating: a selection of Middle Eastern hot and cold small dishes to share. Get it right and the experience is memorable, get it wrong and it can turn into a bland and rather unexciting medley. Here it was more than right, beginning with a fantastic Mezze Platter, plus a couple of extra starters to sample. Everything you would expect was there. And more…

Hommous, Moutabal (a purée of grilled aubergine), Tabbouleh (chopped parsley, cracked wheat, tomatoes, onions), Warak Enab (stuffed vine leaves), Sambousek (a mini pastry with feta cheese, onions, parsley & mint, deep fried), Kibbeh (mixed lamb & cracked wheat, filled with seasoned lamb, onions and pine kernels, deep fried), and the star of the show: Falafel (terrific bean and chickpea croquettes, again deep fried, and served with tahine sauce). Everything in this assortment had a delicate home-made taste and was fresh and moreish.

I also loved the bowl of Soujok (home-made spicy mini sausages), and the slices of lightly-fried Halloumi cheese, which added yet another temptation to the table. All the deep fried dishes were crisp and light with not a droplet of oil in sight.

The sharing mode continued into the main course, where the char grill – the next best thing to an outdoor barbecue – steps proudly into the spotlight. This is all about the clever match of slow marinating and appropriate cooking.

The mixed grill – a selection of cubed chicken, minced lamb and specially prepared lamb cubes, all served on skewers – was garnished with salad and served with French fries. This was a filling feast, succulent and full of juicy flavours. We complemented this with a plate of Tiger Prawns, sautéed with garlic, lemon and a touch of chilli. The prawns were some of the largest I’ve seen served up. Okay, this may be arguably one of the messiest dishes in any restaurant (cue the much needed finger bowls), but it was worth every minute of the careful dissection.

Desserts disappoint, but that’s just a personal opinion: I’m not a particular fan of Baklawa or milk-based puddings. Everything else, though, was definitely worth the journey.

Starters: £3.00 to £9.95
Main courses: £8.95 to £13.95
Desserts: £3.95 to £4.95
House wine: £11.95