Located in a Victorian back street in the student quarter of Jericho, aptly named in this case, is the family owned and very popular Al Shami brasserie that has been serving Lebanese food in Oxford since 1988 and has been listed in the Good Food Guide for most of the twenty years of its existence. To anyone who likes imaginative cooking in welcoming surroundings this is a must.

Open from noon until midnight, the refuge is loved by customers that include students and tutors, and the fact that there are around 40 hot and cold mezze from which to choose may not be irrelevant. Mains range from kibbeh Istanbuliyah of grilled ground meat with crushed wheat and pine kernels, to mujadara of rice and lentils and baked cod fillet.

House wine and arak, Lebanon's national drink are on offer together with several vintages of the Chateau Musar, a Lebanese wine produced at an 18th century castle some 15 miles north of Beirut by the Hochar family.