Hi everyone,
Great to be back. Today I have a restaurant experience to share. Ready? I am!
Location & Opening Hours
Lebanese House Restaurant
5/6 Weavers Walk, Newbury RG14 1AL
01635 552644
The Lebanese House Restaurant in Newbury is in a cosy corner off the Northbrook street in Newbury. As I love to say when it comes to my eatery reviews, remember to check the link for opening times.
Ambience & Service
It’s a rather spacious area on one floor, but the seating arrangement and hues on the wall gives it a rather cosy and warm feel. Pleasant, if you don’t feel distracted by anyone. I would recommend it for family eat outs or even corporate hang outs.
Initially, I got upset with the service. Two of the waiters that attended to us seemed to be having a bad day of some sort. And when my main meal order arrived and it was not what I was hoping for, I was thoroughly upset.
But...
Here’s where the big but is... the one that makes me want to recommend Lebanese House any day...
At some point, another waiter came up to us and asked if we were enjoying our food. We were definitely enjoying the other orders but my main course: I chose to combine the calamari (buttered squid seasoned & deep fried) under the hot mezza menu with some french fries.
Both starters were lovely, and my dining partner that day, Joana Lemaire, had ordered a delicious main course! But I was too stunned by my main meal “disaster” to actually say anything. Anything. I won’t lie. For those who know me, I’m barely short of words. You probably can tell that too by my posts. But I was stunned. Joana had to prime the complaint out of me by telling this waiter I wasn’t happy. My fries were underdone and my calamari was not a calamari ðŸ˜.
And guess what?
This waiter not only listened carefully to me and accepted to take the food away whilst offering us the choice not to pay for it, or to have it totally replaced by anything we wanted on the menu without further charge... he actually patiently and very respectfully explained why I disliked my main.
And guess what again?
The waiter admitted that what I had ordered wasn’t home cooked from scratch - that's one. It was named the way it was on the menu because it actually wasn't the authentic calamari - two. Like saying a beef crisp isn’t actually made of real beef. So their buttered squid wasn't exactly raw squid covered in batter or fried in butter. And three - I think I was simply won over by his honesty and willingness to make things right. Aside the french fries that was clearly undercooked, my proteins weren’t actually protein... lol... using the example I cited, my beef crisps weren’t beef! No wonder I felt duped by an “inauthentic” meal.
But because I’m a sucker for awesome customer service, this little experience was a game changer big on my list. My bill was not charged with the main I disliked, I got a very respectful lesson on the difference between what I was expecting and what I ordered, I received an honest, professional and apologetic conversation in response to my complaint, and I received a sweet dessert on the house.
Mehn! I haven’t seen that in a while.
So yes, this post was created not because I had delicious dishes at the Lebanese House Restaurant, which I did aside my hiccup order, but because the turnaround to what could have really messed up my night was beautiful.
Now on to the actual tastes and textures I so enjoyed, shall we?
Tastes & Texture
So Joana and I had a Hummus Kawarma and spicy Chicken Wings for our starters. Both very delicious, and if you’re a lover of hummus like me (but unlike my dining partner... lol...) you’d love this hummus.
The chicken was moist and tasty, rather spicy and flavourful but not too peppery. This hummus reminded me of my very first intro to Lebanese hummus, the very reason why I love it. Deliciously tangy, very smooth and light but rather filling, it was good it came in a small portion. The well-seasoned lamb and soft pine nuts that were slightly crunchy were a wonderful part of the meal, complementing the hummus served.
Chicken Wings - Marinated grilled chicken wings served with garlic sauce
and
Hummus Kawarma - Chickpeas puree with sesame paste (tahini), lemon juice, & garlic topped with fried diced marinated lamb & pine nuts served with a Lebanese Flat Bread
Joana's main dish was good! A king prawn platter served with rice, it was a huge portion and luckily for me, it was big enough to share between us (as my choices for my main meal had failed me).
The rice was deliciously braised with strands of what seemed to be a fried raw pasta that had been eventually boiled with the rice. The infused flavours of the rice also had a pleasant hint of garlic or onion in it. In all it was a good side to have with the king prawns and veggies and reminded me of an upgraded "anwamo" (a braised rice made with onions that is popular in Ghana).
The king prawns were well cooked. Tasty and slightly tough, I felt it was filling especially with the salad it was served with. Joana and I were not accustomed to the dressing served with it, but an occasional dip achieved was an interesting adventure for my taste buds.
This dish hit high scores on all fronts for me and I would recommend it for anyone who is a lover of prawns and tasty rice.
King Prawns - Grilled
king prawns with lemon & garlic, served with rice
Now, the compensatory dessert that I received on the house is a Lebanese treat made with flour, honey, sugar and pistachios. I love pistachios so I enjoyed having them crushed and sprinkled all over it. The dish was super super sweet so combined with the reminder that I had made a blunder with my own main meal, it was hard for me to dig in. But if you ever ever ever have a super sugary sweet tooth to please, you may want to request this sweet treat. Unfortunately, I do not remember the name, I must be totally honest with you, but I do have a picture of it below.
Cost
Between the two of us, we spent about £30 including a virgin cocktail I had (below).
I would recommend you budget £20 - £25 per head to be in a safe space if you decide to visit this Lebanese House Restaurant. This should comfortably set you up for a 2 course meal and a drink at least. Worth every penny, the taste, ambience and awesome service of the Lebanese House Restaurant is surely something to write home about.
Now that you have my personal view of the Lebanese House Restaurant, I hope you're are motivated to make a stop there if you're ever in Newbury. Delicious food, lovely ambience and awesome customer service, it's a place I doubt you would be let down by. Till we meet again, please remember to keep having wonderful foodie experiences - it's one of life's gifts if you ask me any day!
Thank you for reading our post today. If you enjoyed it or learnt something new, kindly remember to like, comment or share with others. We would appreciate this.
Warm regards,
The Ndudu Tales Team
