Experience an authentic taste of the Middle East all without leaving your own living room
Sometimes it just takes a plateful of delicious food to transport you somewhere else. So with winter firmly setting in – and a second lockdown now under our belts – this is all your
Dish Detective could have asked for with their latest venture.
At the time of writing, restaurants have not reopened for dining, however, many eateries around Portsmouth are still offering a range of cuisines to take away. And on a dark and cold November night my companion and I decide to order from Lebanese restaurant Leilamezze, in St Pauls Road in the city centre.
Their menu is vast, offering an array of Lebanese options from well known dishes like hummus, falafel and kebabs to traditional bamiya stews and spiced sausages in sauces known as sujouk.
Our choices arrive quickly and are still hot, but as soon as we open up the bag I think we've ordered far too much.
We have opted for a range of tapas including the patata harras (£4.50), vine leaves (£4.75), homemade falafel (£4.50) and tabouleh mezzo salad (£5.75).
But that's not all – we also unwrap a vegan shawarma wrap – a vegan alternative to a typically meaty flatbread wrap – for £5.50 and a halloumi and hummus wrap for £6.50. It seems like a lot (it also comes with complementary flatbread) but we divide it up on two plates, taking a bit from each dish.
Every bite is flavourful and it tastes as if every item has been freshly made. The patata harras is delicious chunks of potatoes, cooked in chilli and garlic, which act as a great side dish. The same can be said for the tabouleh salad which refreshingly complements the rest of the meal.
I am excited to try the falafel, having only had it from supermarkets before. This excitement is well founded as it is crispy on the outside and tasty on the inside. It comes with a tahini dip to stop it being too dry – although we agree an order of hummus to accompany would not have gone amiss. My companion enjoys the vine leaves, filled with rice and dipped in olive oil, more than I do. Although I enjoy them, they don't match the flavour of the other dishes for me.
We cut both wraps in half so we can share. I had no idea what to expect with the vegan shawarma wrap. The meat substitute used is seitan – a protein made from wheat – and it works really well in the flatbread wrap with a tahini sauce.
For your Dish Detective, though, the highlight of the meal is the halloumi and hummus wrap. The halloumi is cooked to perfection with just the right amount of hummus and salad.
Despite concerns that we had ordered too much it does not take long to empty our plates. The only evidence left is the pile of empty containers.
What I enjoy most though, probably heightened by the situation of lockdown, is the feeling we have had a real experience – in the same way you do when you actually go to a restaurant.
I will be booking a real table at Leilamezze as soon as I can.
I will be booking a real table at Leilamezze as soon as I can