Restaurant Review: Levant

Review Four: Levant
Jason Court, 76 Wigmore Street, W1U 2SJ
020 7224 1111

Very occasionally one enters a restaurant and is simply bowled over. Levant is one such place. A Lebanese paradise untouched by Hezbollah, the place is both aesthetically astounding and glorious gastronomically. The restaurant is decorated in the Middle Eastern style, with all possible care given to every piece of furniture, interior design and cutlery. Huge bowls of olives and pickled chillies abound. Fresh salads with fresh red chillies and iceberg lettuce, large cucumbers and ripe tomatoes are put on each table.

Just watching the restaurant at work is almost a feast for the eyes as one sees whole lambs cooked on a spit - served and carried on large trays. (These have to be ordered 24 hours in advance).

Our food was also delicious. A huge Meze with humus, tehina, and special salads to start accompanied by sumptuous hot pitta bread. For our main course we ate grilled sea bass (incredible), marinated poached salmon (remarkable), and chicken and beef kebabs (just perfect). Dessert arrived on a huge silver platter and included Turkish delight, sweet cakes, pistachios and fresh fruit of all varieties.

Finally the hot drinks were served - a huge silver pot which poured fresh mint tea.

To add to the entertainment, there are belly dancers a plenty, all gyrating to the most jolly Middle Eastern music.

This is one of those restaurants which scores highly on every front. The staff are both friendly and first class, the environment is special and the food just cannot be bettered. Whilst not cheap, Levant is certainly not a rip off. Levant is a place that you shouldn't visit once. You should go again and again.

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