IF the closest you have ever got to Middle Eastern cuisine is stopping for a kebab on Edgware Road after a night out in the West End, you're missing out on a real treat.

Elnomad in Ruislip High Street is one of Middlesex's hidden treasures that simply begs to be discovered. This high quality Lebanese restaurant is the perfect place to let your tastebuds experience the delights of Arabic food.

As someone who had not had the opportunity to sample Lebanese cooking, I was more than willing to see what this beautiful restaurant, with its deep gold, brown and white decor, had to offer. As soon as I looked at the extensive menu, with page after page of sumptious sounding dishes, I realised that the only problem I was going to have was deciding which of the tempting treats I should order.

I was happy to discover the tradition in Lebanese restaurants is to simply order a large number of starters, or meze, which you share with your dining partner.

The best way to decide which meze to have is to slowly peruse the menu as you enjoy a glass of traditional Lebanese wine, white or red. The white has a dry, oakey flavour, which is perfect if you are going to opt for some of the many vegetarian dishes, whilst the red, with its fruity, sweet bouquet is the perfect accompaniment to any meat.

We began with a dish of tabouleh, a delicious lemon-tinged salad of parsley, mint and crushed wheat, a refreshing way to whet your appetite, followed by warm Lebanese bread. We then had chilli potatoes (roasted slowly with delicate herbs and spices), sujuk (spicy Armenian sausages) and hummous kawarma (a delicious version of the Greek favourite, topped with deep-fried diced mince and pine kernels).

My favourites were Lebanese salad, with croutons in a scrumptious lemon vinaigrette, and cheese sanbusec, little half-moon pastries filled with melted cheese that are so moreish, it's untrue.

For the main course, I chose the shish tawook, pieces of boneless chicken marinated in garlic, lemon juice and olive oil and served on skewers with a butter-flavoured, herb rice. My companion decided to go the whole hog and have lamb meshwi, the lamb version of shish tawook, with a special rice cooked with minced lamb, pine nuts, herbs and spices and gravy.

Dessert was baklava, the mouth-watering assortment of sweet filo pastry rolls and cakes stuffed with pistachio nuts and honey, which are renowned as the perfect end to any meal throughout the Middle East.

I left Elnomad certain that I would be back. - SF

Elnomad, 136 High Street, Ruislip

Telephone: 01895 624700

Reproduced from Limited Edition magazine, an exclusive guide to living in Hertfordshire, Middlesex and the London Borough of Barnet (01923 216295)

December 19, 2001 14:30