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The Al-Salam restaurant on Park End Street was my first Lebanese experience, and comes highly recommended as a cultured and enjoyable evening in Oxford! Walking into the restaurant it was strikingly obvious that this was a popular eatery, with most tables full and a variety of different sized parties. We were just a couple, but there was also a large party of ten seated behind us, and a reasonable number of families too.
The interior of the restaurant is very atmospheric, with Arabic music playing, dark walls and low lighting; what I might describe as very traditional and typical - not what one becomes accustomed to within the centre of Oxford. We were seated without difficulty, though I would advise booking in advance for weekends or larger groups; and were served quickly and efficiently throughout our meal, but not to the point of feeling rushed at any time.
We shared a bottle of the house wine, which was drinkable, though I think that if I returned I might pay the extra to buy one of the higher priced bottles, as the wine was not as nice as I might have hoped for the price (£9). For starters we ordered from the hugely extensive menu with some difficulty. There are approximately 40 different choices on the menu; both hot and cold, with a good selection of vegetarian options available. I think that the tradition in such a restaurant might be to order a selection of these 'meze' and share between those eating. However, with remarkably different tastes, this was not appropriate for myself and my husband, and as a result, I ordered the Warak'inab (vine leaves stuffed with rice), and my husband the Sujuq (a warm dish of bright red, spicy Armenian sausages). These were served promptly, and accompanied by a huge complimentary platter of salad, with an entire cucumber, lettuce, tomato, pepper, carrot, plus olives, radishes and green chillis; much to my delight!
The starters were simply delicious, and amazingly generous; I had 8 vine leaf parcels on my plate; while my husband had a large mound of moist, juicy sausages to work through. The vine leaves were perfectly made, without being too oily, while being moist and tasty to the right degree, and the Armenian sausages were, as already stated, beautifully moist and tasty without being overbearing with any one flavour.
For mains we were both again equally as confused by the huge choice offered to us, but also as equally delighted with our choices. I went for the Al-Salam Special, which was a platter of peppers, mushrooms, onions and tomato, served with a yoghurty sesame sauce and accompanied by a large portion of rice. My husband chose the mixed grill and was served a huge plate containing at 3 different meats (Kafta - minced lamb - and chicken), and a large side serving of vegetables. We also were intrigued by, and ordered a portion of Lebanese bread, which, for 20p, was a huge bargain, being a basket of soft, slightly flavoured unlevened bread (similar to pitta bread, but softer) and perfectly complimented the meal.
Unfortunately, we were too full for a dessert; but there was a reasonably sized selection available on the menu, and I shall definitely remember to chose wisely next time we return such that I can experience the traditional Lebanese sweets (Baklaw - baklava) on offer.
In total, the entire meal came to just under £30, but since we are students, we used our 'Snapfax' (student discount scheme - details at
www.snapfax.co.uk) to reduce this bill by 20% and so in total the evening proved to be exceptionally reasonable considering we ate like kings and enjoyed every mouthful! After the meal, there is then the option of moving next door to the other side of the building, where there is a bar serving Hubbly Bubbly pipes, cocktails and beers, and makes for the perfect end to the evening. As an introduction to Lebanese cuisine, I would definitely recommend trying Al-Salam for a reasonably priced, fun and cultural experience all round.
Alison Hook |
Reviewed Dec 1999 |
Opening a Lebanese restaurant in a city already spoilt with several wonderful Lebanese venues cannot have been easy. But Al-Salam has managed to rise to the occasion to bring a dash of Middle Eastern glamour to the dark fringes of Park End Street. When we arrived the restaurant was already buzzing, and the cold November evening outside was immediately dispersed by the lively Arabian music and fragrant smells. The modern decor of the restaurant combines with the spick and span waiters and sparkling mirrors to give the place a wholesome sheen that is both modern and authentic.
For a starter, we chose a selection of five dishes, mainly due to the fact that we couldn’t decide between the vast and varied selection of sumptuous sounding starters (forty of them, to be exact, all reasonably priced between £2.00 and £4.20), and to my obsession with aubergine. Having ordered, we were brought a plate of fresh, and pleasingly colourful, salad vegetables. Although slightly puzzled as to whether we should wait to dip them in the hoummous, or whether we were expected to rip them apart there and then, we decided on the latter, and devoured the whole pepper, whole tomato, several green chillis, olives, small whole lettuce and small cucumber with truly exotic abandonment. You really coudn’t ask for more as a complementary appetiser, and this introduction is a hint that this kind of meal is definitely a fingers affair - the knife and fork is out of bounds, at least until the main course. We also ordered a bottle of Nakad, which despite being the cheapest Lebanese wine on the menu, proved to be delicious.
We made the right choice, as when our starters did arrive our table could not have supported any other dish. I sank into the Moutabale, a gorgeous vegetarian concoction of grilled aubergine with sesame seed oil, lemon juice and garlic, while he devoured most of the Labneh, homemade Lebanese cream cheese, declaring it unequivocably delicious. We both loved the Sebanikh Bzeit, fresh spinach with onions, lemon juice and olive oil. Spooned into a pitta bread it is just wonderful. The Fatayer Sebanikh were slightly less my thing, small pastries filled with spinach, onion and pine kernels, although for the samosa/spring roll fan, these Lebanese equivalents would certainly satisfy.
For the main course he had ( having been persuaded that he could have steak anywhere) Kibbeh Istanbuliyah, described as ground meat with crushed wheat stuffed with meat and pine kernels and grilled. He decided this unusual dish was rather nice, especially when smothered in yoghurt. I had the Al-Salam special, a variety of Lebanese vegetables grilled and served with rice and sesame sauce. The vegetables tasted almost barbequed, and they too were especially good when daubed with yoghurt. We loved the rice, wholegrain and very wholesome.
And finally, dessert. Mmm... My love affair with the honey-soaked treats of the Middle East could hardly contain itself as we were offered a plate of different pastries to choose from. He had the cream cheese variety, while I, of course, plumped for the baclawa. Don’t be put off by the description of cream cheese, for this is definitely the Lebanese variety. The stuff has a weird, slightly medicinal flavour which has the strange property of making you like it more and more as you eat increasing quantities of it. I imagine it could be very addictive. The baclawa was as it should have been - dripping with honey and marvellously decadent.
Meanwhile, the packed restaurant did not seem to worry the waiters who were polite and attentive throughout. The bill came to an astoundingly cheap £42; for this reasonable amount we had dined like kings. All in all, a wonderful evening was had in a restaurant where an upbeat atmosphere, impeccable service, excellent prices and glorious food combine to create a wholly enjoyable experience. Get in there, and abandon those forks!
Jane Labous,
December 1999 |
