Yara Cheadle

Lebanese and Syrian restaurant Yara is not alone with its Cheadle outpost – equally popular branches can be sniffed out in Alderley Edge, Altrincham and Whitefield. Renowned for dishing up huge portions, there’s also now an order online option for finger-licking Middle Eastern fayre to your door.

Passionate about providing delicious and high-quality tuck, Yara’s starters include “best sellers” such as freshly made hummus dip and charcoal-grilled halloumi, and the cold mezze are all either vegan or vegetarian. There are some interesting oven-baked pastry numbers, like cheese and spinach bourak, lahembajeen – filo pastry topped with minced lamb, onions, pomegranate sauce and pine kernels – and mossahab, puff pastry stuffed with chicken, onion and herbs. Non-meat mains include aubergine mosaka with rice and tomato-topped veg-stuffed fresh artichoke, while fish is abundant with marinated salmon steak or whole sea bass. Meat-wise, lamb kebabs come in the shawarma, shish and kafta varieties, while chicken dishes include sultani, sharhat (with mushrooms and green pepper) and the less familiar kabseh, which is like a fragrant, Persian biryani. Lamb chops are marinated in Mediterranean spices, grilled over flames and layered on fresh onion – team with rice or salad and that’s not only one tasty plate of food, it’s healthy too.

Sweet treats are plentiful, from classic halva and baklava to less obvious choices including milk pudding muhalabieh and cooked Mediterranean cheese served with sugar syrup. Fill up on a selection of nutty cakes or ease off with Turkish delight or date bites. Drinks wise, keep it authentic with Lebanese Chateau Mussar red wine or Massaya white and rosé.

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