THE gaudy neon sign might be a bit tacky, but don't let it put you off because Beirut Express is anything but.

My friend has been raving about the place ever since he went on a Lebanese restaurant binge after a trip to Beirut, reckoning no eatery in London offers a finer representation of the Middle-Eastern nation's food.

So last week I invited him to prove it and was more than impressed. From the outside, this Old Brompton Road restaurant with mentioned sign doesn't look massively enticing but the slick waiters and sleek marbled interior immediately signify it means business.

You can either eat in the formal restaurant area at the back or prop up the bar with a beer and watch the chefs go about their slicing and dicing in the open kitchen.

We opted for the latter and while we were waiting to share a bowl of hommos, we got chatting with the staff who, despite being rushed off their feet in mid-evening rush, found time to chat about everything from the quality of the ingredients to the ongoing military tension in their homeland.

Now, you might say a bowl of hommos (£5.75) is a bowl of hommos, but the addition of a simple garnish of whole chickpeas, some sliced pickle and red pepper and olive oil raised the stakes. The piping hot pitta, to which we stuffed our gourmet entree, made it a wonderful dish with which to begin our feast.

You may also dismiss the kebab as being a foodstuff fit only for late-night louts, but not here. Fresh sliced lamb from a roasting spit (not the congealed dog meat-type substance found in what is commonly known as a doner) is lovingly laid out on a bedmate of bread, and is wrapped together with onion, pepper, pickle and some chilli if desired to form a Shawarma of the most exquisite quality. At £4.50 it represents excellent value.

With more time, I would definitely have eaten out the back, where they serve platters of roasted meat and condiments for £15, the Farouj Meshwi (baby chicken with garlic sauce) and Tawayeh Lahem (cubes of lamb with onion, garlic and hot peppers) catching my eye.

Beirut Express, part of the Maroush chain which started in Edgware Road in 1981, is a buzzy, atmospheric place in the heart of South Kensington which serves seriously authentic food. It's well worth a visit.

Adam Courtney