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Chez Maguy Batroun

By on June 8, 2012 in Reviews

I decided to try Chez Maguy restaurant in Batroun after reading about it on several website claiming it serves some of the best sea food in the region.

The place is quite nice, it’s actually a small house (or a shack maybe) that was turned into a restaurant having a cool view over the sea since it’s located right on the coast.

During winter, I was told Maguy usually serves guests in her dining room, while in summer season you get to sit on the beautiful terrace by sea, but be aware of the mosquitoes when you’re outside, as they can really eat you alive!

Unfortunately the food was not as good as the restaurant’s setting. We were 4 people and among the order we made was 1Kg of mallifa, and below is the plate that we got, which is barely enough for one person! Anway, overall the food tasted quite average compared to other seafood restaurants, unlike what some articles on the internet claim.

We had another kilogram of fish with a couple of appetizers and drinks and our bill came to $120.

I don’t know how to provide you with direction to the place, but if you’re planning to go there just ask about Chez Maguy when you reach Batroun as everyone there knows where she’s located!

P.S: I know the review is missing a photo of Maguy, which is plain stupid from me!

5

P.F. Chang’s ABC Achrafieh

By on June 4, 2012 in Reviews

P.F. Chang’s, the popular Chinese-American chain, opened in ABC Achrafieh around a month ago, and I decided to try it out last week because of all the positive feedback I heard from some friends who have tried it in Dubai.

The place has a really nice interior and is being almost always packed that you feel so lucky if you can get yourself a table, especially on weekends.

Anyway, back to food business, we were a group of 6 people and decided to share several dishes among which were Dynamite Shrimp, Chicken Lettuce Wrap, Crispy Honey Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Singapore Street Noodles, and a couple more seafood dishes.

The food tasted all great, and was much different that any other Chinese restaurant in town (especially Chopsticks). And best of all, the menu covers a variety of tastes from chicken to seafood to beef to vegetarian but is not dominated by the sauces you often encounter at other restaurants like sweet and sour, mushroom and others.

The appetizer I liked the most was the Dynamite Shrimp consisting of fried shrimp covered with yellow spicy sauce. It felt a bit too spicy for some, but it was really good! On the other hand, Mongolian Beef was my favorite main dish consisting of tender steak cooked with scallions.

And if you’ve got room for dessert at the end, try their Great Wall of Chocolate. It has 6 layers, and the below photo definitely doesn’t do justice to how big the portion is.

Overall, and even though it’s not the traditional Chinese cuisine we lack in Lebanon, P.F. Chang’s is definitely recommended to try at least once since it offers something totally new here.

Update:

Sareen brought to my attention that I forgot to mention how is the food priced at P.F. Chang’s. Here you go, starters vary between 9,000L.L and 21,000L.L (Dynamite Shrimp is for 21,000L.L), soups and salads are between 7,000L.L and 22,000L.L, while main dishes are almost all between 25,000L.L and 28,000L.L except for seafood dishes that are in the 30’s.

11

Varouj Restaurant – Bourj Hammoud

By on April 26, 2012 in Reviews

Varouj is probably one of the best places I’ve lately discovered in Beirut. It’s a small restaurant hidden in Bourj Hammoud’s maze of streets and serves some really good traditional Armenian food.

The minute you step inside the place and get greeted by the owner who’s a relatively old man, you’ll be surprised by his character as he acts more like a dictator running his restaurant! But he’s not rude though.

There’s no menu for ordering there and the old man will just ignore you if you ask for it. Shortly after you get seated he’ll just come to your table and quickly list to you the available hot and cold dishes. We ordered Hommos, Fattoush, batata Harra, Mouhammara, Sou Boreg, Soujouk, Chicken Wings, Manti, and soft drinks, and although we tried to tell him which plates to bring first and which to delay a bit, he again ignored our request and decided to bring them as he pleases but didn’t disappoint us since he was serving us 2 dishes at a time that go really well together.

The food was so delicious that we wiped clean the dishes we ordered, all of them, and the old man was smiling every time he notices we finished a plate till the last bit.

Price wise, I have absolutely no idea how the pricing works there! We were not given a bill when we asked for it, he just immediately answered us “90,000 L.L”. That’s it all the 8 plates we ordered for exactly 90,000L.L, which is way cheaper that other Armenian restaurants like Mayass or Mayrig.

Varouj is TOTALLY recommended as the food is heavenly good, especially the Manti and chicken wings, next time I’m planning to try their little birds, frogs, and chicken liver. If you’re tempted to try it make sure you reserve beforehand as it only has 4 tables and always seems to be busy, their phone number is 03-882933.

I’m sorry I was unable to locate Varouj on Google Maps to show you where it is, so I appreciate if anyone can provide me with the coordinates to post a map of it. Here’s a map showing where Varouj is. Thanks to Roupen.

14

Ichkhanian bakery

By on April 6, 2012 in Reviews

I’ve heard of “the Armenian lady” who makes great Lahme Baajin at Zokak El Blat since ever, but I never bothered checking her bakery out until last weekend and finally knew what was I missing, a lot!

People probably call her “the Armenian lady” because there isn’t lot of Armenian shops in western Beirut, while her bakery is in fact called “Ichkhanian” (by the family name of her late husband) and has been operating since before the civil war.

The Lahme Baajin you’ll find there are just awesome and could be the best in Beirut, the dough is so thin and the meat has a unique taste especially if you ask for the extra spicy mix. Perfect for a quick bite anytime a day.

The bakery also caters Manti, Shish Barak, and Borek at relatively reasonable prices, and I heard they’re great as well.

One thing you should be aware of is the bad temper that Mrs. Ichkhanian sometimes shows, she’s actually  a very nice lady but for some reason seems furious all the time. Still, the food is totally worth it.

Here’s a map showing where the bakery is exactly located and how you can reach it.

15

Pasta Di Casa Clemenceau

By on March 1, 2012 in Reviews

Pasta Di Casa has got to be one of the best restaurants I’ve been to over the past months, a true gem! Located at the end of Jounblat street in Clemenceau, the restaurant’s exterior doesn’t look pretty much appealing, but the inside is really nice, it has a quiet simple decoration with old family photos on the walls making it feel so cozy.

Upon receiving our order, a couple of appetizers and a main dish for each of us, were surprised by how generous their portions are, in fact 3 our of the 4 of us didn’t even finish their meals.

I personally had a half portion of lasagna and tasted a bit of one of their steaks (“coeur de filet” I think) and shrimp pasta, all of which were really really good.

A meal for two with soft drinks at Pasta Di Casa will probably cost you 50,000L.L or even less, and the place if definitely recommended.

1

Abou Sako’s big burger

By on February 5, 2012 in Reviews

Have you ever tasted this Big Burger at Abou Sako?

It’s about the size of a small pizza (20 cm) and full of your typical Lebanese burger ingredients, loads of mayo and ketchup with coleslaw salad and fries. It does a great job when you’re starving, and tastes good for a Lebanese burger, really!

Abou Sako has a variety of other sandwiches, just like any other food joint in the city, but is known to be very generous with his portions and ingredients, and yes they’re good too.

If you’re curious to check it out, it’s located at the Hayek roundabout in Sin El-Fil.

1

Le Relais de l’Entrecote Beirut

By on February 2, 2012 in Reviews

The name pretty much says all what this restaurant has to offer, entrecote meat. I went there a while ago an totally loved it. They have a fixed menu consisting of a lettuce-and-walnut salad as a starter, followed by two servings of steak cooked to your taste with butter sauce and fries on the side. And trust me, the steak is really really GOOD, I had mine medium cooked.

A dinner for two with drinks will cost you around $75-80, and I know you would be paying less than that for a bigger portions at e Cafe, but Le Relais de l’Entrecote offers a really different (don’t read better) experience and atmosphere that are worth paying for.

While one could save Le Relais for romantic dinners, e Cafe is to me more suitable for casual outings, and they’re both my favorites.

Le Relais de l’Entrecote is located at Abdel Wahab el-Inglizi street and has two other branches at Verdun and Downtown.

2

Best way to end the weekend

By on January 22, 2012 in Reviews

Is it just me or does anyone else get bummed out on Sunday night? I mean who really looks forward for Mondays?

Anyway, I guess I’ve discovered one of the best ways to end you’re weekend in Beirut. Go to Balthazar in Beirut Souks on a Sunday night, and order the Pain Perdu for two with a cup of hot chocolate. They’re both heavenly good, the Pain Perdu is seriously one of the best in town and comes with caramel sauce, while the hot chocolate is thick and creamy.

Many thanks to A. & S. for the recommendation!

Photo via Ayman Itani

6

Le Gustav Hamra

By on August 23, 2011 in Reviews

If you happen to be passing by Hamra some time and feel like craving some sugar, make sure to drop by Le Gustav at Antoun Gemayel street. The place is very small and cozy, with 2 friendly chefs, Khaled and Noor, who never get bored of explaining to you how everything gets done in their kitchen and the ingredients they use.

Their menu has a wide variety of items and I personally recommend you try any of these three: Chocolate Pavè, Red Velvet cake with cream cheese, and Fleur-de-lis.

6

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