Wednesday, 21 December 2022

Cro's Christmas Office Party.

 

I decided to hold my this year's Office Party in a Middle-Eastern restaurant here in Brighton, called Lavash.

Many, many, years ago I went to a party in Paris hosted by three female Lebanese students. They'd prepared a plethora of small dishes from their native land, and the flavours were haunting. Since then, I've been to just one Lebanese restaurant, and have always hankered for more.

The photo below comes from their web page; I forgot my phone!  Mine looked exactly the same.                        


Lavash have two branches in Brighton, and are genuinely Middle-Eastern. This is the real McCoy. I opted for the carnivore option, but veggies are also very well catered for; in fact the next time I go I might well have a veggie meal.

Good food, sensibly priced, but the cost of drinks was excessive, and the décor questionable. I asked for water! They even had a wonderful wood-fired BBQ in the open kitchen.

I can imagine them opening more branches elsewhere. If you find one near you in the future, I recommend. Take plenty of paper serviettes.

No-one misbehaved.


28 comments:

local alien said...

Office party. Water? Did the underlings have some alcohol at least.
The plate of food looks very good. Loads of flavour I can imagine.

Cro Magnon said...

We never drink (alcohol) at lunchtime. The food was as good as it looks, plenty of interesting flavours and spices. We shall go again.

JayCee said...

I think I would have had to share that plateful with P.. or take a doggy bag for the leftovers!

Cro Magnon said...

I shared it with Lady M.

Yorkshire Pudding said...

The food sounds and looks scrumptious.
"Err... I don't feel like anything alcoholic tonight. Could we just have a jug of tap water please." Always important to specify "tap" or they might bring an expensive bottle of spring water.

Cro Magnon said...

Even the ordinary bottled water was about £2.50. All the drinks were overpriced.

New World said...

Restaurants have high overheads which have to be met. It is as well to remember this when ordering tap water to be brought to your table by a waiter/waitress in a jug and glass.

Ursula said...

Which reminds me, Rachel, and I don't know if it's still practiced, once upon a time there were restaurants not licensed to sell alcohol. However, you could bring your own bottle(s) and the restaurant would charge corkage. Fair enough: Wear and tear on the corkscrew, and glasses need to be washed by somebody.

U

Ursula said...

You say "overpriced". How would one gauge that? By the same token I walk into places (I am given to feeling vaguely faint every so often) and am offered a seat and a glass of water for free. All attempts at even just a tip for their troubles sweetly declined.

As Rachel says, restaurants' overheads are steep. Oddly, the profit margin on food pretty low. So, yes, they make "good" on drink. Let's remember that a restaurant offers a service. One that, at the current economic climate, people think twice about whether to use. The restaurant business in England is in dire straits. So, there you are, Cro, you did your bit to keep the Lebanese in business - and enjoyed the food into the bargain.

U

John Going Gently said...

I still View eating “ out” as a real treat , though over attentiveness by staff can be irritating
No one likes an arse licker

Gary said...

Looks good. I think we may have eaten there. Lebanese food is delicious, carnivore or vegetarian

Cro Magnon said...

These people were very good, we hardly saw them.

Cro Magnon said...

I shall go again soon and have a big veggie platter, it looks superb.

Cro Magnon said...

In many countries ice cold water is brought automatically to your table as soon as you sit down.

Susan said...

Your meal looks delicious. I've never been to a Lebanese restaurant and would probably enjoy the spices as long as they are not over-the-top hot/spicy; savory and exotic is fine. Alcohol is usually where restaurants make their money. Like everything else costs are rocketing.

New World said...

Yes indeed because they know you will be ordering other beverages besides.

Jacqueline @ HOME said...

That looks so tasty Cro ..... we have been having really boring meals lately as we only have a third of a kitchen until February ! XXXX

New World said...

I don't consider it the same practice at all.

Beth Waltz said...

Your Lebanese culinary adventure looks delicious! * In the American Midwest, family restaurants typically serve glasses of ice water along with menus. Staff at the high-end establishments will ask, "Still or sparkling?" Years ago I had a friend who always ordered, "Malvern, like the Queen..."

Yael said...

It does look delicious and very similar to the restaurants that are plentiful here.

Cro Magnon said...

There was just one sauce that was quite HOT (the red one in the photo), otherwise it was just filled with flavour.

Cro Magnon said...

Head down to Brighton, you wouldn't believe the amount of restaurants there are here. It's almost disturbing.

Cro Magnon said...

H M had impeccable taste.

Cro Magnon said...

All through Turkey, Egypt, Israel, etc, you have a wonderful cuisine that for us Europeans is so exciting. Often very similar ingredients, but a totally different way of treating them.

Gemma's person said...

You have an office? Looks yummy.

gz said...

I like the practice in NZ..you pick up a bottle of, often chilled, water from a side table and as many glasses as you need, in any café or restaurant. Free.

Cro Magnon said...

I'm sitting there at the moment!

River said...

The food looks delicious.

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