Newly opened Maison Libanaise in Soho serves a feast from the Middle East

There was shock and sadness when news of Life Café closing became public in November. The restaurant had been there for 11 years, sating the palates of vegetarians, vegans and flexitarians.

But in its place is Maison Libanaise, a vibrant new spot with a similar lively, bustling atmosphere, opened by Black Sheep Restaurants.

The ground floor space is where customers can order take-away, and at around 8.30pm on a weekday there were a number of people waiting for their food. There is a small dining area upstairs with a beautiful tiled floor, bottles of wine on shelves against the walls and an open kitchen.

When we visited we were told the menu was limited for the soft opening. The dishes are in small portions and are moderately priced and service is friendly and helpful.

The hummus (HK$48) with olive oil and sumac was smooth and could have had a touch more lemon juice, but it was delicious with the home-made pita bread (HK$18). You’d have to search to find the cracked wheat in the tabbouleh (HK$58), which had a much larger ratio of coriander to parsley and tomatoes.

We were looking forward to the almond falafel (HK$68), but they were too hard to eat, perhaps because the deep-fried balls were quite small. Nevertheless, we liked the accompanying pickled vegetables and tahini yoghurt.