Comptoir Libanais, Manchester

Urgh, that thing when you had plans that fell through... Then you have to decide where else you could go, but it's cold, and windy, and you're not sure whether you have frost bite in your left little toe. But hark! You remember about Comptoir Libanais, and rabbit so quickly to your pals that you are quite incoherent for a moment.

We arrived at Comptoir Libanais, once again, in the middle of an end of days style storm. It was wet, blowing a gale, and my hair looked like I'd had some sort of breakdown. We were welcomed by very excitable staff, who seemed genuinely keen to get us in, settled and with drink in hand.

I'd never had Lebanese food before, but I have to tell you, I was very excited. I love bits; spicy bits and dips with lots of variety. There's a special place in my heart for a belly-busting roast, but bits will win hands down every time. With this in mind, we decided to opt for the mezze, partially because it removed the trauma of having to choose from such a wonderful menu.

First up though, a delicious strawberry cocktail and a beer to warm us up a sniff.
Arak Strawberry Collins - Bloom gin & Arak served up in a classic Collins style with fresh strawberries

Almaza – Lebanese beer

Mezze

• Falafel - Chickpeas, broad beans, coriander, parsley, garlic and peppers: They look so boring, but taste so wonderful. Perfect when dipped in things.
• Hummus - Smooth rich chickpea puree with tahini and lemon juice: Sometimes a bit bland, but this had a lovely taste and texture. Lots of pitta was consumed with this. 
• Baba Ghanuj - Smoked aubergines, tahini and lemon juice with pomegranate seeds: Aubergine is normally a bit slimy and untrustworthy in texture for me, but this was gorgeous! Loved the tangy pomegranate seeds.
• Fattoush - Baby gem lettuce, cherry tomatoes, radishes, red onion, mint and parsley, with toasted pita bread, fresh pomegranates and sumac dressing: It's like a good version of salad... 
• Lahme Man’ousha - Oven baked flat bread with minced lamb, diced onions, pepper and chilli topped with mint leaves, pomegranate seeds, a wedge of lemon and pomegranate molasses: God this was outstanding! Spicy meat on soft bread. Nice...
• Sojok in Pomegranate Molasses - Spicy Armenian sausages with tomato, parsley and pomegranate molasses: Sausages in sweet stuff; what's not to love about this?
• Jawaneh - Chargrilled marinated chicken wings served with harissa and garlic sauce: I have form for getting chicken wing sauce all over my face, so usually skip them. Couldn't resist though because they smelled amazing. I mitigated the risk by using a knife and fork. Playa...
• Batata Harra - Lebanese spiced fries with red pepper, fresh coriander, garlic and chili: These are like little spicy roasties. Loved their crispiness!
• Pickles - Dead sea pickles: I am a total freak for pickles. These were exceptional! Perfect for dipping. 
• Pitta Bread - Soft, warm bread, perfect for dips: We ate way too much of this, and then it was seamlessly replenished by our waitress. Then we ate more.
• Harissa, mint and yoghurt, garlic and tahini sauces: Dips rock my socks; and these were no exception. 

Mixed Grill - Lamb kofta, chicken kofta, chicken shish taouk served with vermicelli rice: So imagine you've just eaten everything above, then this appears. I could have cried. Word of advice; the mezze is enough. You do not need a mixed grill, despite what your initially hungry belly will tell you. At a push, share one! It's bloody good though. Those chicken pieces are pretty hardcore. 

Baklawa and a selection of Lebanese pastries: I was pathetic by this stage. I managed little nibbles, like a wee rodent, then sat with the face on until the lovely tea arrived. 

Fresh Rose Mint Tea served in a silver teapot - A healthy blend of green tea, fresh mint, rose water and sugar: I presumed I wouldn't like this because it has fresh mint in it (fresh mint being the Devil's weed). Poured from a height, the smell of this permeated the air with sweet mint and rose. It's utterly delicious. They blend it in house, otherwise I'd have bought several kilos. Tetley just isn't the same...

An unexpected evening out at Comptoir Libanase turned into a little cracker. The service was exceptional, and the food was some of the best I've had in a while. I'm already looking forward to going back for brunch of some description. Turns out I'm a big fan of Lebanese food. 

Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Cake

I absolutely adore cinnamon. I use it in my baking all year round, but this time of year requires its use in vast quantities. This makes me very happy indeed. What's better than a lung full of icing sugar and cinnamon eh? This tin demanded that I use lots of the stuff, and a Christmas party with our pals seemed the perfect time for its maiden voyage.

This cake stinks of Christmas; literally. The aroma from the cinnamon icing sugar just seems to permeate the air around you. You can keep your festive candles and pot-pourri; this wins.

This is a very simple cake to make too, but has all the impact of a big cinnamon kiss to the face. Give it a go.

Ingredients:

• 225g butter
• 450g golden caster sugar
• 4 medium eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 350g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 250ml vanilla yoghurt 
• Zest of 1 small orange 
• Icing sugar and cinnamon to decorate

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to gas 3/160 c
2. Prepare a regular sized bundt tin - 2.4l, 10 cup, 10 inch with melted butter and dust with flour. I used the Nordic Ware Cinnamon Bun tin. 
3. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
5. Add the extracts.
6. In a separate bowl, measure out the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and spices.
7. Pour the yoghurt into a jug, and add the zest.
8. Sift in a third of the flour mix followed by half the yoghurt. Repeat this until everything is combined. 
9. Give everything a quick mix on a low speed for about 10 seconds.
10. Pour the mix into your prepared tin. 
11. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 1 hour 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. 
12. Leave the cake to cool for ten minutes before removing from the tin.
13. When completely cool, dust the cake with a mix of icing sugar and cinnamon. If you want to do the drizzle too, mix a little icing sugar with some water to make a runny glaze, and drizzle over, willy-nilly.

Where to buy this stuff:
Cake Release
Nordic Ware Cinnamon Pull-Apart Tin

Bloggers: Please respect the fact I am sharing my own ideas and basic recipe. Blood, sweat and many tears have gone into getting this right, so you may enjoy a perfect bundt. If you wish to re-blog a recipe from these variations, please credit my blog and link to this original post rather than pasting the recipe on your own page.

Cabana, Manchester

So we were well peckish, and about to go and watch Anthrax and Slayer; a Brazilian meat emporium was the obvious choice (nods to Sepultura). We arrived in Manchester to near 'end of days' style weather, and threats of going on a carousel, which incidentally never materialised. 

Cabana is one of the latest openings in the newly refurbished Corn Exchange. I've already tried quite a few of the new places, but was captivated by Cabana's twinkly lights and meaty promises. When I was asked to review it, I jumped at the chance. Pre-gig was the perfect opportunity - two birds and all that. 

We were enthusiastically greeted by a young chap whose name I unfortunately didn't catch, but he was very keen to tell us all about Cabana and was spot on with his recommendations! 

Two for one cocktails... my old friend. We couldn't resist veering away from the food menu to warm those cockles (cockles that were almost frozen off by that Arctic style blast outside). For some reason I appear not to have taken pictures of them all; that was obviously eagerness to drink them.

We were a bit over-faced by the menu, so were happy to run with whatever our chappie recommended. I must apologise for the quality of the pictures; it was quite dark inside and outside looked like it might never be light again.

Starters
Guaca-molho: I love a bit of guacamole with tortilla chips. I could cane my own body-weight in them, and on occasion, have come pretty damn close! I liked the little bits of sweet onion mixed in.

Spicy Malagueta chicken wings: That Malagueta sauce is on everything, including a big bottle on the table. Overkill? Nope. It's immense! Sweet, a little spicy and all kinds of ace. Run with it. 

Parmesan and wild honey: Who would have thought that this would be so great? I can't say I've ever had parmesan in chunks before, but this was bloody marvellous!
Pulled pork sliders: Little bits of pulled pork rammed inside dough balls. Very clever. I tried to eat mine in some sort of lady-like fashion. Don't bother, it makes more mess! Down in one please.

We were a little surprised when the manager suggested that we both have the same main, but ran with it. Feel bad about that two birds comment now, because that's what we had!

Spicy Malagueta chicken skewers: There's that sauce again, but I was secretly quite pleased! Those little charred bits from the grill were absolutely delicious. The sauce is perfectly sweet, and turns quite sticky when cooked. Mouth is watering whilst writing, again. 

Sides
Sweet potato and standard fries: Exactly what you would expect; crunchy fries which were well seasoned. It was nice to have a bit of both.
Rio beans: One of my favourite items that we tried. These beans had a lovely after-kick from what we thought may be smoked paprika. Lovely.
Homeslaw: This is a 'dressing' style coleslaw for all of those mayo haters out there. Really crunchy with a subtle tang that went well with the sweet chicken.

We declared ourselves way too full to attempt a dessert, for we feared that we had already eaten enough to make us nod off through Raining Blood. We did however perk ourselves back up with another Caipirinha, which seemed to do the trick.

I'm very excited by everything that's going on in the Corn Exchange. Firstly, there are lots of lovely restaurants and bars in the same venue, meaning you're never far away from somewhere to have a quick drink before or after your meal. Secondly, it's a stones-throw from Victoria Station, so there's little wasted travelling time. Lastly, it's all inside which is perfect for nesh people like me. I'm not a fan of winter and all the horrors which accompany it.

Go to Cabana with your mates if you like barbecue charred meats, plentiful sides, chatty staff and lovely cocktails.


Disclaimer: I was invited to Cabana to try out their meaty goodness. I was under no obligation to get excited about that sauce, eat so many beans or talk their waiter's head off.