Al Tarboush Lebanese Restaurant

[Riverside]

This place has been open on Caversham Road for while now (right by the roundabout with Vastern Road) though I've only just been able to find their website and thus their menu, which is included below for your perusal! Sadly, the last couple of restaurants that have taken that unit have not stayed there that long (the "oriental" place moved to Chatham Street, though don't know about it's successor). Hopefully this will do well and hope it is not too different for Reading (remember the Mongolian Barbecue on Basingstoke Road - great food, but didn't last that long), as any diversity in this market is very welcome to me. I also don't think that the screening around the frontage adorned with vinyl banners will do it any favours.

Has anyone tried it yet?

Link: http://www.altarboush.com

[Yola]

Nope - not yet but hope to soon. I've been to several Lebanese eateries in London in the past and I love the food so this is high on my list of places to visit.

[tigerseye]

I'd love to try the restaurant, the menu looks lovely. If I do, I'll be sure to post about it

[piwacket]

I haven't tried it personally, but a good friend and, I would have said, a discerning diner, speaks very highly of it and has visited on several occasions.

[neoplasticman]

I got a take away here for the wife and I last night.

I have to say it was excellent food. Nice ambience in the restaurant too, and the staff were very friendly, but not overly so. They offered me a complimentary Lebanese coffee whilst I was waiting for my food, which is a kind of short coffee infused with cardamon. Delicious.

Very good selection of mezze, both hot and cold, and a big charcoal grill menu. Both the wife and I are vegetarian and there was plenty for us to pick from on the menu.

Big thumbs up and I’ll be going back soon for a sit down meal, and will most likely use it regularly for take aways now. Instantly installed itself in my top two favourite restaurants in Reading, alongside Aangan.

Recommended without hesitation or reservation.

[Chris]

Thanks NPM - a lot of places could learn from that kind of customer service.

We'll give it a go - based on your recommendation! Out of interest, where did you park to pick up the food?

[neoplasticman]

On the street outside Carnival Stores. There's usually a few places available on that strip in the evenings.

[tigerseye]

I've been dying to try this restaurant (being veggie it seems to have plenty for me to choose from) and was meant to be 'doing lunch' there last week but unfortunately a kind client gave me a lousy cold so had to cancel.

I am determined to give it a try though, I had a look at the menu and there were loads of things on there to whet my appetite. I hope it lasts longer than most restaurants on that site.

[Riverside]

I thought I would look up Al Tarboush's food safety scores. If you do decide to give it a go, be aware of the RBC's food safety inspection on 5/1/10:

• Comments: Poor
• Confidence in Management: Little
• Hygiene and Safety: Fair
• Structural: Fair

Overall food safety star rating: only one star out of five - POOR.