Comptoir Libanais Manchester launch party...

It is rare to come across a breath of fresh air in the restaurant scene, with virtually every cuisine and concept we can think of readily available in major cities. One cuisine however which is not as freely available is Middle Eastern, so I was delighted to hear that celebrated restaurant Comptoir Libanais is opening a location in the hip Spinningfields area of Manchester. I just love Spinningfields, it is such a good place to go out in Manchester, bursting with great restaurants and bars.

I was so pleased to be invited to attend the launch party for Comptoir Libanais, because I love Middle Eastern food. From the second we arrived, I knew we were in for a special evening and I was delighted by the beautiful interior of the space. The restaurant was already full of party guests when we got there, and many people were outside on the sweeping covered terrace, which brings a real flavour of warmer climates to the restaurant. Adding a covered terrace is an inspired touch, because you can enjoy being outside no matter what the weather!

 Comptoir Libanais is the brainchild of Tony Kitous, and the first restaurant opened in 2008. He wanted to bring authentic and wholesome Lebanese food to the people, and the brand has been growing steadily ever since. Comptoir Libanais is a hotly anticipated and welcome addition to the Manchester scene, with so much to offer in terms of both menu and ambience. 
After a warm welcome from the lovely Andy Foy who is the restaurant manager, we headed to the bar where we sipped chilled prosecco and homemade Toufaha lemonade, with apple, mint and ginger. The bar staff were impressively efficient, serving the guests rapidly and whipping up cocktails with real flair! 

Silver bowls brimming with fresh fruit and jugs of pomegranate water on the bar gave even more colour to the vibrant setting. I just love the interior design of Comptoir Libanais, which has a large open plan restaurant space (complete with private dining area), open kitchen counter and a long bar area with banquette seats, decorative tables and colourful scatter cushions. Everywhere you look, there are elements of Middle Eastern décor, with beautiful painted tiled walls and floors, pretty coffee pots and handmade baskets which you can buy to take home!

We tucked in to delicious canapes during the evening, such as hommos, fishcakes, chicken skewers and baba ghanuj as we chatted with friends and soaked up the party atmosphere. We also enjoyed delectable baklawa, which are always a favourite of mine. They were delicious with flaky pastry, honey and pistachio. Irresistible bites of sweetness which go so well with traditional Lebanese style coffee; strong black coffee slow roasted and finely ground with Cardamom and served in a traditional rakweh. 

Comptoir Libanais will offer coffee and a croissant for £2.75 every day until 11am, so Manchester will have a bustling and warm new spot to enjoy that essential morning caffeine-fix from now on! If I lived nearby I would be popping in all the time, because the colourful interior just makes you smile from ear to ear! The emphasis at Comptoir is on healthy, light and affordable food which can be enjoyed in the restaurant or to take away. 

 As well as tasty breakfast options, the menu has sumptuous mezze platters, wraps, salads, traditional tagine and Lebanese mana’esh flatbreads to offer. Divine! The casual yet chic style of the restaurant is really appealing, this is a 'roll your sleeves up and enjoy' kind of atmosphere, with none of the stuffy old fashioned feeling which makes some restaurants so unappealing. 

Drinks are equally impressive, with coffee, tea, iced tea, homemade lemonades, cocktails, wines and beers to choose from! As well as being a cool spot to grab a bite to eat, I could definitely imagine popping in to Comptoir Libanais just for drinks, as the bar area is light and airy and the huge selection on offer plus the lure of the outdoor terrace to enjoy makes for a winning combination! 

 I am so envious of Manchester to have such an exciting new addition to the thriving dining scene. I cannot wait until we have a Comptoir Libanais in Liverpool, make it happen soon please!
I will be going back soon to review the restaurant menu, so watch this space. Many congratulations to the whole Comptoir Libanais team and thank you for a wonderful party! 

What do you all think, would you like to try a tasty tagine or some moreish mezze in the vibrant surroundings of Comptoir Libanais? Have you tried Lebanese food before? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post! 

Comptoir Libanais 

18-19 The Avenue,
Spinningfields

Manchester

M3 3HF

http://www.comptoirlibanais.com/

Until next time,

Camille 

xo

Chinese food at Chy...

There are some foods which I just cannot resist, and Chinese definitely falls in to that category! Come rain or shine, I am always in the mood for a good Chinese meal.  When I go home to visit my family in Derbyshire, we always get a Chinese take away together, so for me Chinese food always makes me think of happy times.  

With this in mind I was delighted to be invited to review Chy* recently, which is a gourmet Chinese restaurant which has two locations in Liverpool on Lark Lane and on Ranelagh Street. We visited the city centre restaurant, looking forward to trying the food we had heard so many great things about.

After a warm welcome we were led to a spacious booth where we enjoyed prawn crackers with chilli oil, spicy Malaysian style sauce and sweet chilli. I always love to have prawn crackers as they are such a key part of a Chinese meal! We were impressed with the wide array of options on the menu and I sipped a chilled Chardonnay as I browsed through the choices. The philosophy of Chy is to offer authentic and classic Chinese dishes and this is reflected in the menu which includes Chy specialties such as wok fried seabass and Peking style chicken alongside familiar favourites like chicken chow mein and king prawn in satay sauce.

We decided on a Chy appetiser platter to start the meal, so that we could sample a few different things which is always a good way to begin a meal in my opinion as it gives a little variety. The platter arrived heaped with delights and I started with sesame prawn toasts which were crispy and delicious with plenty of flavour. The seaweed was sweet and crunchy and it went well with the tender chicken satay skewers. My dining companion enjoyed the barbecue spare ribs, which were succulent and flavoursome, before we both enjoyed the crispy vegetable spring rolls which had a delicate taste. This platter was a perfect way to begin the meal, with plenty of food to share. After such a superb start to the meal we were looking forward to our main courses!

Chy appetiser platter. 

The restaurant design at Chy has a very cool aesthetic, with purple  lighting, dark wood furniture and a well stocked bar area flanked by a huge wine cabinet. I love the contemporary and stylish design and  it is easy to relax in these minimal surroundings which allow the food to take centre stage. 

For the main course I was torn between ordering one of the Chy specialities and sticking to one of my usual choices. In the end, I could not resist choosing one of my favourite ever Chinese dishes, sweet and sour chicken with a side dish of egg fried rice. Sweet and sour chicken can be difficult to get just right and this was one of the best I have ever tried, with plenty of tender chicken pieces served in a light batter and a sauce which achieved the perfect balance of sweet and tangy. Pineapple, onions, peppers and carrots provided the finishing touches to this excellent dish, whilst the egg fried rice was cooked to perfection. 

My dining companion ordered the crispy shredded chicken in chilli sauce with a side of soft noodles with vegetables. I of course sampled his dish and the chicken was wonderfully crispy whilst the chilli sauce was slightly sweet with a good kick of spice. The addition of finely sliced fresh chillies on top made this dish even tastier. The soft noodles were so moreish, with just a hint of soy sauce and a slightly smoky flavour. I absolutely love noodles and when they are cooked like this I could happily eat them every day! 

Soft noodles with vegetables. 

Crispy shredded chicken in chilli sauce.

Sweet and sour chicken. 

It was soon time to look at the dessert menu and after such delicious main courses, I could not wait to see what dessert would have in store! Since it was Bonfire Night, we could not resist a toffee apple dessert, which was so indulgent and reminded me of a gourmet version of the toffee apples often served at bonfires! Sweet apple cooked in a crispy golden batter and served in a rich toffee glaze with vanilla ice cream, this was pure dessert heaven.

The chocolate spring rolls we ordered were equally good; crispy filo gave way to a delectable chocolate filling with a hint of hazelnut and vanilla ice cream balanced the warm chocolate beautifully.

Chocolate spring rolls.

Toffee apple dessert. 

We had a lovely evening at Chy, the food and the service were both excellent and this is a restaurant which takes the simple experience of a Chinese meal and elevates it to the next level. The eye for detail in the presentation of the dishes and the gourmet style of preparation leads to a meal which is both memorable and delicious.
What do you all think, would you like to enjoy a gourmet Chinese meal in the stylish surroundings of Chy? Please tell me what you like to get when you order a Chinese meal! As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post! 

CHY 

5 - 9 Renshaw Street

Liverpool 

L1 2SA

0151 708 7787

http://chyliverpool.co.uk/

Until next time,

Camille 

xo 

*Disclaimer

I was kindly invited to have dinner at Chy, the meal was complimentary for review purposes. All opinions expressed herein are my own and honest 

A feast at Byron Burger...

It is a pleasure to review so many different restaurants here on Coco Cami, and with my readers in mind I like to include as wide a variety of restaurants as possible. When it comes to foods that appeal to a large amount of people, the humble burger frankly takes some beating. The amount of burger restaurants around these days is a testament to the popularity of this simple food, which is served everywhere from fast food joints to expensive restaurants. Burgers make an appearance on so many menus because they are  so satisfying and there is nothing better than a good burger when you are in the mood for some comfort food! 
One Friday evening recently, my partner and I were wandering around Liverpool without any dinner plans. We felt like going somewhere relaxed and casual which served food we were both in the mood for. After a moment chatting about what we wanted to eat, we settled on Byron Burger which I walk past every day but had never dined in before. I love the concept of Byron Burger which was inspired by the time the founder Tom Byng spent living in America. He was particularly fond of the hamburgers from Silver Top Diner in Providence, Rhode Island. He eventually saw a need to recreate a similar concept at home, serving excellent burgers made using premium produce and thus Byron Burger was created in 2007. 

We were given a very warm welcome and seated at a table where we could watch the world outside go by, which I loved as I always prefer a window table if possible. Behind the pass, the kitchen teams were busy sizzling up orders, and delicious aromas filled the air. I sipped a glass of crisp house white whilst my partner tried the Bugs Brownie milkshake, a delicious concoction of homemade chocolate brownie, caramel and vanilla ice cream, which was sinfully sweet and rich. 

We were both fairly hungry so we settled on an order of Nachos to start the meal, which were crispy and fresh, topped with melted Cheddar, jalapenos, salsa, guacamole and sour cream. These were just the ticket to start the meal off and we looked forward to the arrival of the burgers we had chosen. 

In the mood to go all-out, my partner ordered the B-Rex burger, a 6oz hamburger with onion ring, streaky bacon, American cheese, jalapeños, pickles, onion, BBQ sauce and mayonnaise. He eagerly tucked in to this towering concoction and the little smiles and nods of satisfaction in between mouthfuls were all I needed to confirm that he loved every bite of this perfectly cooked burger! I also sampled a bite and I thought that the combination of the burger and the fully loaded toppings worked really well together. The jalapenos gave it a spicy kick and the BBQ sauce lifted the smoky burger flavour to the forefront. This burger definitely ticked all the boxes, and I would recommend ordering this when you want a truly indulgent burger. It was much more than the sum of its parts and so irresistible!

I meanwhile opted for the classic chicken burger with chargrilled chicken breast, lettuce, tomato, red onion and Byron sauce. I chose to top this with American cheese which I think always goes well on a burger when it is melted to perfection. Yum! The chicken was tender, the chargrilled flavour was delectable and the bun was fresh and doughy. The philosophy of doing a simple thing really well is key to Byron Burger and I think this is really reflected in the quality of the food. This was one of the best chicken burgers I have had, simple yet so satisfying. 
Of course, a burger would not really be complete without fries, so we shared side orders of classic fries as well as sweet potato fries which were crispy and tasty.

I had no room left for dessert, but I did find just enough room for a couple of spoonfuls of the caramel and honeycomb sundae my partner ordered, with layers of vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce and honeycomb pieces! What can I say, this epic sundae was quite a sight to behold and the rivers of caramel, rich ice cream and crunchy chocolate coated honeycomb really encompassed every element of a satisfying and indulgent dessert. Nachos, burgers, fries, a milkshake and an ice cream sundae, yes,  we had managed to order everything to recreate that classic American diner experience and it was every bit as good as the diners I visited in New York and Hawaii.

I was very impressed by the whole experience at Byron Burger, the food was really something, managing to be both simple and delicious. In addition,  the service was excellent and we were checked on regularly throughout the meal and served iced water as well as being talked through various menu options by our friendly host. This place gets it just right and it maintains a balance of good food and good service which some much more expensive restaurants struggle to attain.
I will be going back soon to tuck in to another juicy burger. There are Byron Burger locations throughout the UK, so it is a restaurant that I hope many of my readers have probably already experienced and I would love to hear your thoughts. Have you dined at Byron Burger and what type of burger is your favourite? As always, I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post!

Byron Burger

43 Paradise Street

Liverpool ONE

L1 3EU  

 0151 707 8231

www.byronhamburgers.com/

Until next time,

Camille 

xo