Located at: 56 Galle Road, Colombo 03, Sri Lanka

Visited on: 21st October, 2023

Middle Eastern cuisine is something that we crave every now and then. And authentic Middle Eastern cuisine is something that can be hard to come by in Sri Lanka. So, naturally, Lebanan Chef had our attention from day one. What was even more enticing was that the chef, too, was from the Middle East – pepping up our hope for some authentic Middle Eastern food.

Their fruit juices were very good – so fresh. The Watermelon and Basil Juice (LKR 900) was a refreshing thirst-quencher, as expected. I really enjoyed the Kiwi Juice (LKR 900), which I ordered without ice. It came undiluted and had definitely been made from fresh, ripe kiwi fruits. The Strawberry Juice (LKR 900) was quite good, too. Again, fresh and with very little water added.

To begin with, we ordered a Hummus Pine nut (LKR 1,100). The texture of the hummus was smooth and creamy, and it had a good balance of flavour. Neither heavy on tahini, nor on garlic. The pita bread (which they replenished during the course of the meal) was also good – soft, not too thick and the perfect pouch to scoop the hummus up with. The pine nuts added a bit of crunchy texture to complement the smoothness of the hummus.

The Tabbouleh (LKR 1,100) had been prepared with very fresh parsley and had a mild twang from the lemon dressing. It certainly added a touch of light freshness to the meal, although a bit highly priced when compared to the prices of the other dishes.

Lebanan Chef’s Falafel portion (LKR 1,300) comes with six falafels (although ours came with seven – no complaints!). The combination of the crisp shell and the softer chickpea filling core was great, and the generous covering of sesame seeds gave it a bit of an extra crunch. While some restaurants add herbs to the filling, the absence of green colour on the inside suggested that Lebanan Chef does not. However, this did not compromise on the flavour, although the falafel was a bit oily – possibly due to the haste in preparation while the kitchen tried to keep up with the high demand that the place was having. A tahini dip on the side would have been ideal to go with the falafel.

We tried three dishes from their mains. The first, of course, was their Chicken Shawarma Sandwich (LKR 2,000), which comes with a combo option to add fries and a drink for an extra LKR 1,000. Probably (or perhaps surely) the most ‘authentic’ feeling shawarma that we’ve had here. I didn’t see if they had a vertical shawarma spit going (I assume they did) as we were seated upstairs, but the meat had definitely been prepared like it should. Not the sort of cooked chicken that gets stuffed into “shawarmas” at most places. It had pickled gherkin and what tasted like a combination of tahini and toum (Lebanese garlic sauce). Simple and authentic. Not overcomplicated with salad or cabbage or tomato or anything else that shouldn’t be thrown into it. The bread wasn’t pita light and thin, and allowed for the contents of the sandwich to be the highlight. There was a toum dip on the side, which was good for an extra bit of sauciness.

The Chicken Kofta (LKR 2,200) was excellent. Herby, juicy, perfectly seasoned and cooked until it had a nice bite to it. The meat – essentially three kebabs – came on a bed of bread with toum and a side of rice. The meat, as I mentioned, was delicious. However, what I did not anticipate was for the rice to be as good as it was! Fragrant and full of subtle savoury, herby flavour on the palate. Not heavy either. It truly was a very pleasant surprise.

The seasoning and cook on the Shish Taouk (LKR 2,000) were just as good as with the kofta, and the meat was delicious. This, too, came on a bread with toum and a side of rice. The rice in this dish also had a savoury flavour with a tomato-based sauce on top. However, for me, the rice from the previous dish was hard to beat.

All in all, it was a thoroughly satisfying experience at Lebanan Chef. Top points for trying to keep things truly authentic – including the ambience, decor and set up of the place. Yes, there might be room for a bit of improvement with a dish or two, but the place it just a month old and this could be excused, provided they’ve got their eyes and ears open for constructive feedback. We’ll be back for sure – and might try some desserts out then. (The dessert selection on the day was limited, we were told.)

Lebanan Chef has the potential to make a memorable impression on its diners and build a clientele of returning customers. Fingers crossed that the standard of the food is maintained and only goes up from here!

Yummy rating: 4.5 / 5.0

EDIT, Dec 2023: Unfortunately, our second visit didn’t prove to be as satisfying, with the shawarma filling tasting like it had been changed up to suit the local palate – which is not what we look for when we crave authentic Lebanese cuisine. As such, the above Yummy Rating would have to be downgraded.