North African & Middle Eastern

Bristol

CAFE CEITURICA
277 North St, Southville, BS3 1JP
Tel: 0117 966 6880, web: www.eatdrinkrelax.co.uk
See World & Pacific Fusion.

SANDS
95 Queens Rd, Clifton, BS8 1LW
Tel: 0117 973 9734, web: www.sandsrestaurant.co.uk
The first Lebanese restaurant in Bristol has an unrivalled reputation around these parts for the quality of the cuisine and the welcome extended to diners. The contemporary cavern-style interior is supplemented by the calm oasis of the heated outdoor patio (for alfresco dining) while the glorious upper terrace area is perfect for pre-dinner olive nibbling while mulling over the vast choice of menu options, secure in the knowledge that an authentic, atmospheric eating experience awaits you. Set menus are the best way to delve into the delights on offer: spicy, exotic, taste-tingling sensations abound. Arabian night is fantastically popular: on the final Thur of each month, for £15.95pp, you can enjoy a delicious three-course meal with coffee plus the exotic delights of Sands’ resident belly dancer - and, for those who enjoy an authentic feel to their meal, a luxurious smoke of the shisha, served in the garden. Menu S: mixed mezze, inc hummus, falafel, olives, tahini, jawanih bil toom, muhamara, warak inab, baba ghanouge. M: marinated meat or fish barbecued over charcoal; flavour-packed lebanese/arabic meat, fish & seafood dishes (eg boneless chicken, marinated in garlic, lemon juice and olive oil, grilled on skewers, with grilled onions, tomatoes and green peppers; couscous with chicken, courgette, aubergine, red and green bell peppers, pumpkins and runner beans). P: baklava; mixed lebanese sweets Price ALC: from £3.75/from £9.95/£3.75. SL: five items from hot/cold mezze: £6.95pp (min two people). Set mezze (eves) from £18.50pp (vegetarian £16.95pp), min two people Wine list Extensive. HW £11.95 btl Open Daily 12noon-2.30pm & 6-11pm. Children welcome. Call ahead for details of disabled access. Major credit cards. Private parties of up to 100 welcome.

Bath

ARABESQUE
Podium Shopping Centre, Northgate St, BA1 5AL
Tel: 01225 481333, web: www.arabesquebath.co.uk
An exotic taste of the Lebanon tucked away in an upstairs corner of a city centre mini-mall. Candlelight, gold-braided cushions, atmospheric music and elaborate scented water pipes create a world far removed from the prosaic location. The lunchtime self-service, eat-all-you-like buffet is the stuff of local legend, and the vegetarian options are excellent. Menu S: stuffed vine leaves; minced lamb with parsley and grilled lebanese bread. M: tender lamb cubes, minced lamb & chicken cubes with grilled onions, tomatoes, green pepper; baked salmon fillet with spicy sauce served with rice. P: traditional lebanese sweets (inc excellent baklava); white mousse with rose water Price ALC: £3.95/from £8.95/from £3. Water pipes: £5 for up to four people. Serve-yourself lunchtime buffet 12noon-3pm (inc dishes from hot & cold mezze range): £6.95pp, all you can eat. SD: full mezze range (veggie/non-veggie options) from £15.95pp (minimum two people) Wine list HW approx £11 btl Open Daily 12noon-11pm. Children welcome. Good disabled access, with toilet & lifts. Major credit cards. Not suitable for very large parties, but call ahead for details.

CAFE DU GLOBE
1a North Parade, BA1 1LF
Tel: 01225 466437, web: www.cafeduglobe.co.uk
A large bay window offers excellent people-watching opportunities from this cheery little caff by day (as does a small pavement seating area out front, weather permitting), while candlelight and fresh flowers add a romantic spin to proceedings when evening comes around. Open from 10am for morning coffee and snacks, the daytime lunch menus concentrate mainly on shoppers’ fare (pizza/pasta; omelettes; wraps; big salads; toasted sandwiches) and afternoon tea between 3.30-5pm, but evenings are largely given over to Moroccan classics, reflecting the owner’s Casablanca roots. Menu S: moroccan mezze platter, including zaalouk, meshouia, shickshouka, hummus, taboulet, falafel, loubia, laada, bakoula, khizzou m’shermal, feta cheese marinated with pesto and olives, served with moroccan flatbread; marinated sardines stuffed with sharmoula M: lamb tagine with caramelised prunes slow-cooked in saffron, ginger and cinnamon, sprinkled with roasted almonds and sesame seeds; traditional vegetarian couscous with tunisian harissa and marinated raisins. P: traditional pastries; toffee apple fudge cake Price ALC: from approx. £3.95/from approx £9.25/from approx £4. SL (11.30am-3.30pm): 2 £7.99. SD (5-6.30pm): 2 £10 (inc gls house wine), SD (6.30pm-close, exc Sat): 2 £15.95 Wine list HW £14.95 btl Open Daily 10am-10.30pm. Children welcome (own set menu: main course, dessert & drink £4.75, up to age 8). Disabled access. Major credit cards. Parties welcome - call in adv.

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