Baroushka is a Lebanese delight!

With a one year old child, we don't often get to go out for an grown up meal. Generally we have to consider whether there is a kid's menu and if baby screaming will offend other diners.

Enjoying a Lebanese kiss

But with a babysitter organised (thanks Mum), we were excited to try the new Lebanese restaurant in Salisbury, Baroushka, as we'd heard great things about it.

Upon arrival, we were immediately greeted by a friendly smile and welcomed to our table. And this warm and prompt approach to service continued throughout our meal.

The restaurant was like a long corridor and

My husband with a
Belly Dance

the décor was contemporary but with an Arabian twist. There were lots of mirrors and Moroccan style lights hanging from the ceiling and an open kitchen meaning you can watch your food being made, which I love.

We started with cocktails. I had an Arabian Kiss made from Champagne, strawberry and lychee liqueur and my husband had a Belly Dance which was a mix of massaya arak, cointreau, canadian dry with a lime twist. It's nice to try some fun, new cocktails and they were both delicious.

For our first course we enjoyed a hot and cold mezze to share which had loads of tasty morsels such as Lebanese sausage, hummus with shredded chicken and tabbouleh to share. It was so delicious, I could have eaten two of them myself!

The Lebanese wine

To follow, my husband had a selection of Arabian sausages with hummus, tabbouleh, pitta and harrisa and I had a lamb shawarma with a really sweet pomegranate molasses and tahini dressing.

All washed down with a bottle of Lebanese red wine. I'd never tried wine from Lebanon before and was really impressed. The one we chose, the Altitudes red from Ixsir, wasn't cheap (£28.90) but it was worth every penny. We thought it was similar to some of the wines we'd dried in Saint Emilion earlier in the year as it was rich, dark and oakey with a strawberry finish.

My Shawarma

The whole experience was fantastic. It reminded me of the first time I went to Greece and tried Greek cuisine or the food in Russia. It was like nothing I'd tried before and it felt like I'd gone on a mini holiday to somewhere I'd never been before. 

As well as Lebanese wine, they also had a couple of Araks to try which were served with ice and tasted of aniseed and a selection of beers from Lebanon, Israel and Morocco to try. And non alcoholic "mocktails too. 

Despite it being a Saturday lunchtime over Valentine's weekend, the restaurant wasn't especially busy. I think it's a real shame as I bet all the chain restaurants in Salisbury were packed. It's especially sad as one of my favourite independent restaurants, Crane Street wine cafe recently closed its doors and it amazes me that we still don't support local independents.

The hot and cold Mezze

This place is a real delight and it is refreshing to have something so new and modern in Salisbury. And, if you want to try something completely different and support a local independent then I'd urge you to book a table and give it a try. And, I've just discovered on their website that they do take-away, now then, where's my phone.....

Baroushka can be found at 90 Fisherton Street, Salisbury.

A Monumental sight at Salisbury Cathedral

I was walking the dog through Salisbury Cathedral close this week, when I got a bit of a surprise. A whole load of HUGE statues staring at me from around the Cathedral.

Periodically these sort of art exhibitions arrive in Salisbury and I love it. And, because I live in a bubble of looking after my son, while running the family business, I tend to be completely unaware that they are going to arrive. Like last year when a whole load of Baron statues suddenly appeared. This is similar, but with life sized Minotaurs, giant hares and hands. 

The artwork is by Sophie Ryder who likes to "work big" and create "hybrid beings" from things like old machine parts and toys, weld joins and angle grinders.

Especially, I like the piece called The Lady Hare. This is a huge wire sculpture of a hare combined with a human (apparently the artist's body). There was another wire statue that they were assembling as I walked through called the Kiss. This will straddle the North Walk and also looked pretty immense. 

Salisbury Cathedral has never looked better, especially as the sun was beaming down when I walked through. If you want to take a look, the sculptures will be on display until 3rd July.