Don’t panic! This is normal. The first bit of food that confronts every customer at Al Shami is a plate of fresh veg: half a lettuce, a whole pepper, some radishes and some mystery pink cubes. But what do you do with it? Is it the starter? Is it a centrepiece? Is it a cruel joke designed to reveal your skill at preparing veg combined with the challenge of splitting half a lettuce into equal portions? I’ve been eating at Al Shami for some years and still haven’t come up with an answer. All around the restaurant different tables deal with the problem in various ways: some eschew the offering thinking themselves far too refined to bother with such nonsense; others dig in elegantly, leaving large parts untouched. My dining group are keen to engage fully in the reviewing experience and finish the plate off; the mystery cubes are deliciously sweet (some kind of pickled cabbage?) and the other vegetables are fresh and crisp. We dealt with the pepper like an apple, something definitely worth trying.
While we wait for our other dishes, we get a chance to look around the restaurant. As one, fairly small, room (with another larger function room sometimes opened at the back), it is reasonable to expect the place to be full on a Friday night, so booking ahead is recommended, especially for larger parties. I’ve eaten on other nights and it is always equally busy, reflecting its popularity given its secluded location in the labyrinthine back streets of Jericho. The waiting staff seemed to be stretched a little thin, making service a little slower than it could be, but still very helpful and highly attentive. The atmosphere is pitched well, although the décor leaves something to be desired, being a white room with some vases arbitrarily dotted around.
As a Lebanese restaurant, Al Shami offers a stunning array of food, in a large selection of mezze and some larger mains. It’s all traditional Lebanese fare, meaning lots of lamb, the cryptic Kibbeh Maqlia (ground meat stuffed with meat) and a fantastic range of vegetarian options. I recommend the mezze as the best option because it means the widest array of flavours, as well as inviting sharing on the table (get ready for hard-fought houmous battles), but the mains and charcoal grill option remain available. We reckoned that between two and three plates per person would be enough as they don’t scrimp on the portion sizes, and with a vegetarian in the group it allowed for a wide range of stuff.
The menu descriptions are enough to entice you towards your own decisions, but some dishes are a must: Moutabel – a dip of pureed aubergine, sesame oil and garlic that offers an alternative to houmous, filled with rich smoky flavours and as one companion described, a ‘surprising’ texture. Sujuq – Spicy Armenian sausages with brilliantly vivid red colouring, a treat for the eyes as much as the tongue. Ardi-Shoki – Artichokes cooked in Al Shami’s ‘special sauce’, this dish was well spiced and featured well-cooked artichokes, the perfect balance between tenderness and taste.
Commonly overlooked by many patrons who have gone overboard on the mezze, and are struggling to move, is the baklava selection. Contained within the broad genre of honeyed pastry seasoned with pistachios are five or six very different puddings, each more delicious than the last. Some are dense and chewy, full of nuttier flavours; others use lighter pastry and generous helpings of pistachio cream. All are small enough to squeeze in after a decent-sized meal, so they are well worth a try.
Al Shami has always been a personal favourite and a frequent destination, offering, in my opinion, the best Lebanese in Oxford (a matter of serious debate in the Daily Info office). The food is very decently priced, we managed a fairly indulgent meal for three, with drinks, for under £50. Being a cheaper option, you can’t expect top-quality service, but the fantastic food easily makes up for it.
