His next move was the acquisition at the end of 2005 of Pasha from Richard Caring of Caprice Holdings, transforming it into the most opulent and seductive restaurant of its kind in the capital. He then launched Kenza, a feast of Middle Eastern craftsmanship and rich design, in the City of London in 2007. Meanwhile, crush the garlic clove and put in a jar with the lemon juice, vinegar, oil and sumac. Season and shake well then leave to infuse until the salad is finished. Last year the Lebanese restaurant Comptoir Libanais opened up in Utrecht. I love Lebansese food, especially because it has so many vegetarian and vegan options so I went to Comptoir Libanais straight away. Now, almost a year later they brought out their first Dutch cookbook. In this blog post I’m telling you more about the Comptoir Libanais cookbook that’s filled with party recipes and I’m giving you a 20% discount on your next meal at Comptoir Libanais in Utrecht.

They also look very pretty, as do Comptoir Libanais and Honey & Co’s pomegranate seeds, which should supply a lovely burst of sweetness – but pomegranates at this time of year tend to be disappointingly dry, so I wouldn’t bother. Some recipes also use dried mint, too, but its more aniseedy flavour spoils the fresh flavour of the other kind as far as most testers are concerned, with one likening it to their grandma’s mint sauce in a not entirely complimentary way. Heat the oven to 200C. Toss the pitta with a little olive oil, then bake for about 15 minutes until crisp. Allow to cool slightly, then break into shards. Most of the recipes I try contain lettuce in varying quantities, either little gem, or the larger version, cos – but the recipe in Jerusalem (passed down from Tamimi’s mum) omits it, as does Claudia Roden. Fattoush is, I believe, rather a moveable feast – Anissa Helou writes in her book Lebanese Cuisine that “you can make it with whatever salad ingredients you have available as long as you use sumac” (and, presumably, bread). Comptoir Libanais uses celery and green chilli, neither of which I'm particularly keen on; the celery is surprisingly dominant, and the heat of the green chilli feels like it belongs to a different dish. Herbs and spicesLast September, Random House published Comptoir Libanais: A Feast of Lebanese-Style Home Cooking, showcasing just how easy, healthy and accessible Lebanese food is for everyone.

Deep-frying proves, sadly, the best option; Comptoir Libanais does give a shallow-fried variation, but it is disappointing enough that I can't recommend it. Remember, if you put enough salad on top, it's basically health food anyway. The first Comptoir Libanais opened at Westfield Shopping Centre in November 2008, with four more following in London. Further openings include Duke of York Square in Chelsea (pictured below), Bluewater in Kent, and in the London airports – with more to come. The Cookbook is officially called Comptoir Libanais – feasts from the Middle East (translated in Dutch to ‘Comptoir Libanais Feest! – Feestelijke recepten uit de Libanees Mediterrane keuken’). The book is filled with recipes to make a party from every meal. It’s really inviting to ask your friends over and have a food party. This wouldn't be a Middle Eastern recipe without heaps of fresh herbs. Forget the sad little supermarket bundles and try to find yourself a proper market stall bouquet, if possible. Parsley is popular, used by everyone but Helou, but so is coriander, which makes its way into all the recipes. I like a combination of the two – the sharp, pepperiness of parsley and the aromatic freshness of coriander, both in sufficient quantity to turn the mixture a bold green colour.

Pulses

Tony’s vision for Comptoir Libanais was based on much more than the food. As the founder, he wanted to ensure the design and styling of each restaurant was inviting, simple and atmospheric. From the counter displays, to the lighting and furnishings, everything is devised by Tony to reflect the dining style that is at the heart of Lebanese hospitality and culture. He says: There are recipes for breakfast, mezze, salads, grilled dishes, fish, soups and stews, grains and desserts in the book. I’m sharing the recipe of one of the dips from the book, as for me this is the perfect healthy party food. I made the Artichoke and Tahin dip from the Comptoir Libanais cookbook and I’m sharing the recipe with you below. This dip is healthy and vegan! Fattoush is not fattoush without bread – that’s the whole point. Any kind of Middle Eastern flatbread will do (or, in fact, most kinds of flatbread); the important thing is it must be crisp. There are various ways to achieve this, from Baxter’s frying to Honey & Co’s grilling, but the most reliable, if you can bear to turn the oven on, is to bake it, which gives a dryer, crunchier result; the dressing should supply all the oil the dish needs. If it’s too hot for the oven, toast the pitta as Roden does. Some recipes season it with sumac, but as this intensely lemony spice is a key ingredient in the salad itself, the bread is, I think, better left plain as a contrast. Tamimi’s mother used a homemade yoghurt dressing that the pair believe was probably her own creation. “Sami can’t recall anyone else in the neighbourhood making it.” It is indeed “terribly comforting”, and both richer and more cooling than your average fattoush – it’s a dish for when you want something a little more substantial.

Feta, tahini and yoghurt replace the Parmesan and béchamel sauce, while vegetables replace the mince in this Lebanese twist on a classic. Chilling the mixture before cooking helps with the shaping. The size of the falafel seems to vary, from the 40g Comptoir Libanais monsters to Roden's diminutive 4cm discs. She and Salloum recommend shaping tools, which I discover inside a box of Lebanese falafel mix in the grocers, but I find the Roden-sized versions too crunchy; making them bigger allows for a greater variation of texture between the crisp outer and fluffy interior.

Vegetables

Ground coriander and cumin are also pretty much a given, and I like the fiery sweetness of Helou's Lebanese seven-spice powder, with its ginger, cinnamon and allspice, which balances beautifully with the savoury garlic and peppery herbs. Some recipes use cayenne pepper, paprika or chilli flakes too – I find the warmth of the ginger sufficient for a dish that is rarely hot as opposed to spicy, but if you feel the need, add a shake to taste. Steam the spinach leaves by putting them in a pan with a good splash of water and heat just to the point where they wilt, but not so that they lose their texture. And Tony points to just how healthy Lebanese food is: “The food of Lebanon is so healthy, I even lived on charcoal grilled meats and mezze for over a year whilst training and preparing for my 250 kilometre marathon – and lost 60 lbs in wight!” Ottolenghi and Tamini roll their falafel in sesame seeds to coat, which looks handsome and makes the exteriors extra crunchy.

Heat 5cm oil in a deep pan to 180C/350F, then fry the falafel in batches and drain on kitchen paper. Serve with tahini sauce, toasted flatbreads and plenty of salad.Bringing together the passion of owner Tony Kitous, the extraordinary designs of award-winning graphic artist Rana Salam, and bestselling author and photographer Dan Lepard, the Comptoir Libanais cookbook blends a vibrant culinary tradition with modern flavours and cooking methods Kitous’ restaurants were the first in London to merge traditional Arabic cooking with the easy contemporary eating to be found in the expanding network of Comptoir Libanais restaurants. Look, I am not a chef and I don’t want to pretend that I am. I’m a self-taught, passionate home cook who adores Lebanese food. My love of Lebanese food is very simple. I enjoy sharing good food: food that’s healthy, delicious, and above all, simple and honest. And that’s what this book is about. I wanted to share my passion, and I honestly believe that once you get close to Lebanese food, you’ll want to share it with your family and friends, and you’ll get hooked on it too. Toss the dressing with the salad, then, just before serving, cut the radishes into quarters and use to top the salad, along with the bread and a final flourish of sumac. Like tabbouleh, this is a dish that requires a generous hand with the herbs, as Helou reminds us. The usual suspects, parsley and mint, are the most popular choices, although Honey & Co go for the rather intriguing oregano, which I love, but which tastes dangerously uncanonical. Roden’s coriander is similarly daring – I think it works, but others aren’t convinced. In any case, parsley and mint just taste right; and if it ain’t broke …