Restaurant owner Tony Kitous is passionate about Lebanese food.

The man who opened Comptoir Libanais at Bluewater at the end of last year spoke with unbridled enthusiasm about the cuisine when Vibe caught up with him this month.

“Our food might be foreign but all you have to do is try it once and you don’t have to think twice,” he said. “You want to go back for more.”

He added: “It’s affordable, it’s healthy, it’s easy to get, it’s fast and casual, it’s friendly – that’s what we’re trying to set up.”

The first Comptoir Libanais opened at Westfield Shopping Centre in 2009; there are now 10.

Tony’s plan was to open up Lebanese food as a casual dining option.

He said: “We’re trying to introduce our food to the British High Street and it’s working. It’s about simplicity, giving value for money and experience.”

“You see Japanese and Italian and Chinese and French but there’s not much of a Lebanese presence on the High Street.

“Our food is so good but nobody does it. It’s not that the people don’t like it, just that nobody’s doing it for them.”

He added: “I wanted a place for everybody, very casual, that everyone can afford where the food is healthy and easy to eat.

“You can eat it in your daily life on a regular basis without thinking you are eating heavy ethnic food.”

The end result is a restaurant which serves accessible, healthy food that remains entirely different. The decor is different, the service skilled (you should see the waiters pour exotic tea) and belly dancers once a month.

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Picture by Michael Franke

Looking after customers is something that Tony is especially keen on.

He said: “Lebanese culture is about hospitality. People are not customers, they are guests. That’s how we see it.”

The Bluewater outlet is Comptoir’s first outside London and is the perfect location for Tony’s small and passionate team, he said.

“Why not go to Bluewater?” he said. “The people there are very knowledgeable and like to experience different cuisines. I also think the people of Dartford have been deprived of our cuisine and I am here to answer their prayers.”

While Comptoir Libanais has only been around for five years, the brand has grown quickly. As well as 10 restaurants – and more on the way – Tony has also written two popular cookbooks.

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Picture by Michael Franke

It is no surprise the restaurants have proved successful – Tony has a long history in the industry.

Now 44, he came to England on holiday with a friend aged 18 with just £70 in his pocket.

“It turned out to be a 26-year holiday,” he said.

“I was supposed to go home to university but I decided to stay and thought if I stay I have to create something. I couldn’t just mess around without having a goal.”

That goal was to own his own business and after four years of working two jobs, he achieved his dream – still aged only 22 – by opening his first restaurant and has scarcely looked back since.

CLICK HERE TO READ NEWS SHOPPER'S REVIEW OF COMPTOIR LIBANAIS