Maroush V - Vere Street

Marouf Abouzaki arrived in London from Lebanon as a twenty-one year old in 1975, and worked as a chef in a Lebanese restaurant until he opened the first Maroush outlet in 1981. The group now has over ten branches in London under the names of Maroush and Ranoush and has plans of expanding further.

When asked about the secret of running a successful restaurant, Marouf simply says, "Good food, good service and full attention to the customers" - exactly what each branch offers. The eateries are well known as they stay open into the wee hours of the morning, a feature that makes them very popular, especially during weekends.

Instead of a traditional three-course dinner, it is quite customary to have an array of small dishes that aim at entertaining diners, beyond just feeding them. The restaurants offer a variety of hot and cold mezzes, like mousakka and falafel, among a host of others.

Grilled king prawns served with a special sauce, cubes of chicken sautéed with red and green hot peppers and served with rice and kastaleta, specially prepared lamb or veal cutlets, served with fries, are popular mains.

If you are looking for something lighter there are sandwiches, wraps and baked savouries. The dessert list is exotic with baklava and ossmalieh, a special rose flavoured dessert made from vermicelli, cream cheese and garnished with pistachios.

The wine list has a selection of fine red, white and rosé wines in addition to champagne, aperitifs, spirits and liqueurs. Maroush prides itself on its authentic fare and great service. It is no surprise then to have food critic AA Gill say - 'Everything is dazzlingly fresh, beguilingly fragrant, exotic yet earthy'.