Rotana Lounge

A very stylish lounge, bar and restaurant that brings a welcome taste of Lebanese food and entertainment to south west London, open seven days a week with non-stop service. The top back restaurant has a large plasma screen that features singers and performers from the Middle East, whilst downstairs there is live music and belly dancers.

Décor is striking in a subdued kind of way, radiating warmth and style that matches perfectly the zappy atmosphere. The small bar areas are equipped with plasma screens, and four private rooms have LCD facilitating satellite DVDs.

Lebanese food, like their wine, is in the view of many a welcome, if relatively recent addition to the scene of international cuisine in this country. At Rotana some 40 starters are offered, followed by 20 hot or cold dishes. Set menus offer a good value option and vegetarians will find plenty to please them.

A set menu for two includes a selection of 7 mezzes, such as  hommos, moutabbal, tabouleh, vine leaves, falafel, fatayer and kebbeh, followed by a mixed grill or mixed shawarma, and Lebanese sweets and coffee.

Rotana's lunch, a daily event available from 11.30am to 6.00pm lists a selection of 6 mezzes, followed by a choice between the dish of the day or a mixed grill, with coffee.

Fish dishes are a speciality in their own right with a baked or fried Dover sole, jumbo king prawns served with a spicy ratatouille sauce and saffron rice, or a mix of salmon, cod and scallops.

Amongst the Rotana specialites is raw lamb tartar served with garlic puree, or the well loved selection of raw meat, kebbeh, fteeleh, kafta and Habra, served with onion and garlic puree. Moussakaaat is one of those dishes that knows only elastic boundaries, let alone interpretations, and the Rotana version, for vegetarians, is made up from baked seasoned aubergine cooked with tomato and chick peas, served with rice.

Mixed shawarma features slices of marinated lamb and chicken roasted on a skewer.

Always popular are the marinated lamb cutlets, grilled over charcoal, closely followed by a Lebanese mixed grill, a selection of skewers upon which lamb, shish taouk and kafta have been impaled and served with or without garlic to suit all tastes. The kafta tarator draws upon minced lamb combined with parsley, pine kernels, onions all grilled over the charcoal and served with homemade tartor sauce.

Like most cuisines Lebanese has its soups with lentil the most popular, chicken for the meat lovers and vegetable as a credible alternative to the lentil. For those who like a good salad with their meal look no further than the Rotana version with mixed salad tomatoes, mint, green-red peppers, fine Lebanese herbs, cucumber, parsley with lemon and olive oil dressing on a vinaigrette dressing.

Four different types of rice are there to accompany dishes of all types, plain, with tomato sauce, with lamb, or vermicelli.

In addition to the range of soft beverages there is an amply equipped bar and, of course, a wine list that offers some of the best Lebanese wines available.

Their Website is well worth a visit for more information about a visit to Rotana whether it be for a romantic tryst or a major social occasion.