WATFORD'S Lower High Street, that stretch between the ring road and the Harlequin, has become increasingly fashionable in recent years. Appealing to the more mature members of the community, it is far away from the teeming hordes that frequent the "cafe quarter" at the other end of town, and one reasons for its appeal is Caf Mezza.

Opened on the ninth day of the ninth month in 1999, it introduced Lebanese cooking to the town, since when, it has steadily grown in popularity as diners have overcome ignorance and scepticism to embrace a culinary art that shares much with Greek and Turkish cuisine with a drizzle of French influence. Caf Mezza has a very continental look, with the open kitchen in the centre of the restaurant.

"People were hesitant at first," the the director and manager Hussein Mortada admitted. "They would pop in for sandwiches and cakes, and wonder what the main courses were like."

Seventy per cent of the clientele is female and, after sampling a meal, I can understand why. With due respect to the fairer sex, Lebanese food is chatty food. You can pick and mix to a large degree, which is in itself an encouragement to discussion. The policy is to let diners chat rather than hurry them through the courses to prepare the way for a second sitting.

To help the first time diner, the menu contains a glossary, providing information for each dish, and my colleague and I sipped Almaza , a pleasant Lebanese beer, while we planned our meal.

We opted for a starter (mezza platter) for two called the Original, and a serving of peppered potatoes as an extra side dish. At £9.95, we found this a potentially very filling spread of six samplers, including homous (chickpeas, sesame and lemon); tabouleh (parsley, crushed wheat, lemon juice and olive oil salad); a cucumber and mint yoghurt; falafel (deep fried croquettes of chick peas and beans), and lamb, or for the vegetarian potato, kibbe (fried in onion and crushed wheat batter); and babaganoush (a puree of roasted aubergines, sesame and lemon).

These, with accompanying sauces and a large amount of pitta bread, were quite a meal. Particularly impressive was the falafel, which struck me as the type of meal that would make becoming a vegetarian far more bearable. We were told that the English tended to slit open the pitta break and stuff the various dips inside. They then found themselves struggling to cope with the main course. The Lebanese use the pitta bread sparingly.

Aubergines and sesame feature quite strongly, and the babaganoush was among the top tastes you can experience at Caf Mezza, although the chile sauce, a warm but deliciously fruity combination, ran it close. You can chose any of the mezzas individually, at under £4 each, and often diners opt for just this or a main course, rather than having a two or three-course meal.

The main courses are varied, from lamb kafta to entrecote. Between us we opted for a mixed grill and a chile chicken, which proved very good on the palate and there was no stinting on the portions. Everything at the restaurant is freshly made and nothing comes from a tin except the olives, but these are so well and mouth-wateringly marinated that one was tempted to order an extra side dish of them as well.

"When I first opened, I had to almost club them over the head to get people in here," said Mr Mortada. Unsurprisingly, those days are over.

Caf Mezza, 144, High Street, Watford (01923 211500). It is open from noon to 10pm, Sunday to Thursay, and from noon to 10.30pm on Friday and Saturday.- OP