A new eatery opened near Victoria Park (206 Central Avenue, London, ON, 519-204-3971) this past March, though hubby and I missed it completely. We noticed it a few weeks back when we were trying out a new sushi joint. I think the big reason it originally caught my attention was the all day breakfast option, something Dan is a big fan of. So when we wanted a bite to eat at an awkward time of day when all the sushi places in London were closed we decided to give it a go. I was pleasantly surprised to find a fairly varied Lebanese menu inside.

We started with sweet potato fries, a perennial favourite. Hubby ordered the breakfast special (three eggs, choice of meat and home fries) plus some toast. I ordered Fattoush to start, a salad of romaine, cucumber, tomato, peppers and seasoned pita chips instead of croutons. The dressing was refreshingly light, a lemony herb vinaigrette that made the fresh ingredients pop even more. I don’t think I could have been more surprised. My Shish Tawook, essentially a chicken kebab wrapped in a pita, was equally delicious, with garlicky mayonnaise and yummy pickled turnips. It certainly satisfied a weeks-long craving for Lebanese food, though I’m the first to say I know nothing about authentic Lebanese, except what I learned in Montreal.

I hope the restaurant (which was expecting their liquor licence application to come through soon) finds the late-night college clientele they’re hoping for. But I also hope the ingredients stay fresh. After all, even students need to get their veggies somewhere.