Western Road, Brighton
01273 730123

Open Mon-Sat noon-11pm, Sun noon-10pm

Review: March 31, 2006

With voluminous silks draped from the ceiling, an abundance of red velvet cushions and the sweet smell of hubbly bubbly apple tobacco in the air, Sahara restaurant, near Taj Daily supermarket on Western Road, is an Arabian dream come true.

Having lived in Brighton for more than 20 years, Palestinian owner Najeh Ali and his wife Yasmin had always wanted to run their own restaurant - an ambition fuelled by their shared passion for Persian and Lebanese cuisine and culture.

Now, after years of working in the property business, the couple have created this atmospheric haven, where there is far more to the experience than just the meal.

"My wife plays a big role in the decorating," says Najeh. "She has the magic touch."

The mood of Sahara is quite intoxicating. Arabic music pours from the speakers and unusual smells and flavours tantalised the senses.

Even the names of the dishes (there are more than 60 dishes on the menu) are a linguistic delight, with words like loobia polo, bamieh-bil-zeit, shorbat dajaaj and fattoush rolling off the tongue.

Baskets of oven-baked flat bread, dipped in creamy hummus, and baba ganoush are customary while main courses are varied and plentiful. Recommended is the tagine: A rich and juicy stew of chicken, lamb or vegetables, with sweet and sticky prunes, olives and walnuts in a thick tomato sauce served up in a terracotta pot, Moroccan style.

House specials change daily. Try maglooba (basmati rice cooked with aubergine, red and green peppers, garlic and fried onions and served with chicken, £8.95), koshari (crispy onion, brown lentils, pasta, rice, chick peas and served with a tomato sauce, £7.95), or zereshk polo (fried chicken with a barberry mix and served with basmati rice, £7.95).

Middle Eastern favourites such as falafel, shish kebab and tabbouleh are also all available.

While the bring-your-own booze policy (with no charge for corkage) means you can enjoy a few drinks without paying through the nose, it's worth keeping hold of at least some of your senses to savour the rich, authentic flavours. It is not often you get to sample traditional Arabic coffee, cardamom tea or Persian ice cream, which is light and crunchy and loaded with pistachio nuts.

A plate of assorted syrupy baclava (£3.50) or kunafa (cream cheese topped with a shredded pastry, £3.50) is also hard to resist.

A hookah or hubbly bubbly costs £10, with a variety of mixed fruit-flavoured tobaccos. According to Najeh, puffing on a hubbly bubbly won't make you high, although as a non-smoker he says he can't be sure.

"My smoker friends are very happy with it," he says. Sahara is split-level and spacious, with plenty of room at the back of the restaurant for group bookings.

Review by Xenia Gregoriadis

• If you are interested in restaurants in Brighton, Hove and Sussex, visit www.theargusfoodguide.co.uk