In what can only be described as a foodie's Instagrammic wet dream, a trip around Gabon's capital of Libreville proves even more exciting than the discovery of the Aden filter whilst drinking a particularly photogenic flat white.Libreville's streets are lined with an impressive range of restaurants: everything from traditional Gabonese fare to French haute cuisine. This is perhaps unsurprising, given the capital's significant French contingent—a remnant of Gabon's colonial past—and its diverse and gastronomically demanding expat community.A less expected Libreville find is the abundance of authentic Lebanese dishes. Yes, Lebanon—think Terry Waite, a bitter civil war, and the brilliant human rights lawyer, Amal Clooney (née Alamuddin). That Lebanon is here in the last Eden of West Africa.A significant percentage of foreigners who live in Gabon are from the Levant, but it's still surreal to hear shouts of "yalla, yalla" as you wait for your falafel wrap here in the tropical capital.Alfred and Clare Turkman run Le Petit Palais, a popular Lebanese restaurant and bakery in Libreville. They left Lebanon in 1975 when the civil war broke out. After initially going to Paris and applying to many different jobs, Alfred got himself a position teaching at a university in Gabon, and they both decided to move there.Finding more opportunities in Gabon than in Lebanon, Clare encouraged other relatives to join them, which they soon did. Together, they opened a number of respectable Lebanese restaurants around the bustling Quartier Louis. In 2002, they opened Le Petit Palais, a hit not only with the many Lebanese immigrants living nearby, but the locals as well.They hardly limit their offerings to hummus and tabouleh, now ubiquitous in the West. There are whole supermarket aisles full of falafel mix, spices from the Fertile Crescent, molokhia, and even meghli, a Lebanese rice pudding traditionally made to celebrate the birth of a baby.The reason for this impressive diversity may be the makeup of the Lebanese community. (And I'm not talking about the impressive contouring on Pornhub star Mia Khalifa or Miss Lebanon, who recently squabbled with Miss Israel at the Miss Universe pageant.) What I mean is that much of the community is made up of men who have emigrated to Gabon to find work, often leaving their families at home. Le Petit Palais and restaurants like it provide the comfort of home-cooked meals for these expats, whilst dishing up a delicious diversity of otherwise little-known specialities to other customers.Regardless of the reason, if you fancy an authentic Lebanese meal and you don't want to travel to the Middle East, you can always hop over to Gabon. You'll undoubtedly find an Alfred or a Clare who will make sure you're fed well.
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