Opened by the former manager and chef from Alsafa, Alameen offers a similar menu of standard Middle Eastern, and some South Asian, cuisine. On top of decent food, the little restaurant, with its shisha pipes, framed Qur’anic quotations on the wall and the murmuring of Al-Jazeera in the background, provides Sanlitun with a little oasis of Arabic culture.

While many of Alsafa’s menu items were always unavailable on our visits, at Alameen we finally successfully ordered the fried kibbeh (five pieces for ¥25) and labneh yogurt dip (¥25), best enjoyed together. The kibbeh could have been a little saltier but is very reasonably priced. The labneh, made fresh and served with olive oil, is perfectly creamy and slightly tart, and we loved eating it with the mardoof (¥6), a chewy Middle Eastern bread that’s similar to naan. You could make a meal just out of the appetizers at Alameen—the stand-out eggplant salad (¥20) from Alsafa is now available here—but there are also plenty of meat and seafood entrées, which all come with fries and a salad. The lamb chops (¥45) were fatty but good, and we liked the subtle spices of the grilled kebab (¥45), made with ground beef.

The after-dinner combination of tea with mint (¥15/pot) and an apple shisha (¥40) is both stimulating and relaxing. One can easily sip, smoke and chat for hours. Before leaving, pick up a plate of the exceptional Middle Eastern pastries (¥180-200). They’re only sold in bulk, but they keep for up to two months and will be eaten long before then anyway.

Sienna Parulis-Cook