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Burger Nation Hamra

By Rami on August 16, 2011 in Reviews

I finally got to try the burger joint everyone has been buzzing about for a while now, “Burger Nation” located at end of Hamra street.

The menu is very straight forwards and offers either their selections of burgers or do-it-yourself, and while explaining about the burgers you can’t but notice how much the waiters emphasize on the fact that their patty is made of grass-fed Angus beef that’s imported from Australia.

Farah and I shared two burgers, the Nation’s Pride and the Swiss & Mushroom both 4oz and medium well, and I have to admit the patty is among the best in town, I mean you can easily feel the difference between others and what Burger Nation offers.

However, the sauces and toppings definitely need an enhancement, at least for the Nation’s Pride. With that holy beef patty, I was expecting a much better taste. And don’t get me wrong here, I’m not saying it tasted bad, actually I’m planning to go there again to try their 6oz burgers, but I’m pretty sure BN can do better with the toppings.

Would I recommend you to go there? Yes, and do try their belgian fries.

Sushi Lounge Hamra – Sushi on a budget

By Rami on June 8, 2011 in Reviews

I was passing by Hamra a while ago an noticed a new place called Sushi Lounge right next to Banque du Liban offering take-away orders of 50 pieces for 50,000L.L. Being a kind of sushi junkie, I decided to try it out with a couple of friends.

The excessive use of crab sticks was a bit disappointing as well as the size of the salmon sashimi, but all in all it tasted fine. And although Oceanus Achrafieh ramains my favorite sushi place in Beirut, I recommend take-away orders from Sushi Lounge on those last few days of the month, when you start to watch your spendings!

Note that for dine-in, the price of the same order increases to 75,000L.L.

Good fish and chips where you least expect it

By Rami on May 21, 2011 in Reviews

It’s definitely not the best out there, but Sanyour Cafe in Sarba has a good fish and chips for 12,000L.L only.

I also liked their Osmaliyyeh Chicken (chicken strips covered with Osmaliyyeh pastry) which comes with sweet chili sauce I think, and the Pizza Tawouk with garlic sauce all over!

Sanyour has branches in Kaslik, Antelias, Sarba, and Dhour El Choueir. And needless to say, you’ll have to be able to tolerate the arguileh smokers all around you if you decided to go there.

Nokia N8 review

By Rami on April 25, 2011 in Reviews

Earlier in March Nokia Lebanon lent me an N8 device to try out and write a review about it. I’ve been using the phone for over a month now and I have to tell you this, it’s GOOD.

Camera:

First things first, the N8 rocks a 12 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens and auto-focus, and that’s what I loved the most about this phone. The images it produces are just so detailed and natural, and you’ll probably have so much fun with the panorama tool that Nokia offers for free via the OVI store. You can check the N8 flickr group to check by yourself how good can its camera be.

Display:

The N8’s 3.5″ display might not be the best in the market, but you can easily watch a movie on it if you’re on a flight or something, that’s how good the colors look on it, let alone using applications or previewing the camera photos.

Keyboard & touchscreen:

The last touch screen phone I’ve used from Nokia was the N97 which had a quite disappointing resistive screen, so I personally noticed a big improvement with the current capacitive screen on the N8, but unfortunately you still cannot rely on it if you’re the type of person who texts a lot. So I wish the N8 had room for a hardware keyboard like the E7.

Multitasking:

The N8’s operating system, symbian ^3, was built to handle as much simultaneously open applications as possible. You can safely browse the internet while you’re listening to music, having your e-mail open, and maybe a Facebook or Twitter client as well in the background.

Satellite navigation:

While other phones offer a built-in GPS chip and leaves you on your own to search for a navigation solution, with the N8 and other Nokia phones you’ll get OVI Maps pre-installed with free navigation. I’ve been using OVI maps ever since I purchased the E72 last year, but experiencing it on the N8’s 3.5″ display was a treat!

What I also liked:

The HDMI-out capabilities and the ability to connect to a USB flash drive through the dongle that ships with the phone.

N8 vs iPhone 4:

Everyone who saw the N8 with me had the same question, how does it compare to the iPhone 4? I actually don’t think there’s a definite winner, it all depends on what you’re expecting to get from your device. If it’s all about games and entertainment, then you should go for an iPhone, but for everything else I’m pretty sure the N8 is up to the challenge.

Overall:

Would I keep it if I had the chance to? Yes, particularly for its superb camera and display, although I’ll be missing the hardware keyboard on my E72!

Fit n’ Burger at Roadster

By Rami on April 13, 2011 in Reviews

I recently went to Roadster Hamra and thought of trying one of the items from the new low cal menu, and so I decided to choose the Fit n’ Burger, which comes with rocket leaves, grilled onions, grilled tomatoes, grilled fresh mushrooms and light sauce served in multi-cereal brown bun.

The burger was surprisingly GOOD! The bun tasted fresh and the patty was juicy enough. It of course doesn’t beat my favorite, the Swiss Mashroom, but it still is a definite choice for those who are on a diet and want to have a guilt-free burger.

By the way, for some reason I always notice that the service at Roadster Hamra seems to be superior than other branches… kudos for the extra attention they show!

Breakfast at Bonheur du Pain Verdun

By Rami on April 7, 2011 in Reviews

Bonheur du pain is located in Verdun’s main street right next to Leila. Their breakfast menu is basically very close to what Paul offers but at a less price.

The cheese omelet I had was very good, but if there’s one thing I could improve it would have been their croissant, which are really not bad, but you usually expect pastries to taste no less than excellent at places like Bonheur du Pain.

My overall experience there was good even though their staff were acting clumsy… which is probably because my visit was shortly after their opening…

The quest for the best burger in Lebanon – Brgr Co.

By Rami on February 22, 2011 in Reviews

I went to Brgr Co. some time around September last summer after all the promising photos and messages I saw on their Facebook page at that time, but unfortunately I got disappointed with my overall experience.

When I arrived there, I was surprised the place had only two tables occupied while Classic Burger Joint who’s just around the corner had a pile of people waiting for their turn to go inside.

Anyway, my first disappointment was the difference I noticed between the prices on their Facebook page at that time and their actual menus in the restaurant. Both menus felt overpriced anyway (14,500L.L for the 4oz burger, and 25,500L.L for the 8oz).

I started by ordering some onion rings which tasted average and looked weird.

The major disappointment was with the 4oz burger I orderd. The patty and topping were OK, nothing super as I was promised, and the bun was very dull! I guess the least one should expect from a burger place is to offer fresh buns right? Well, check how fresh mine was.

I know a lot of people who agree with me about Brgr Co. being an average place, but I also heard a lot of people claiming it is among the best burger joints in Beirut, at least that’s what Khaled thinks, “Brgr co one of the best burgers I’ve tried in town!”. And I really trust Khaled’s taste buds since I’ve met him once, and I know what he does. So people seem to be divided about the place!

I guess the only explanation for this is that their service could just probably be inconsistent… what do you think?

Le Montagnou Faraya – A social dining experience

By Rami on February 4, 2011 in Reviews

A cold weather and a good company is all you need to enjoy a pierrade at Le Montagnou Faraya! The restaurant has a really beautiful scenery in daytime, and feels really cozy at night.

I had a mushroom soup as a starter with a small share of a grilled chicken fillet course, and they both tasted good.

Then came the yummi pierrade with this large pot of cholesterol melted cheese. I had to deal with some guilt afterward but it was ok! 😛

… but I got a bit disappointed towards the end with the chocolate fondue, as the chocolate didn’t really taste the way it should be.

Anyway, having a friendly staff, a nice atmosphere, and good food, the place is totally recommended!

Eau de Vie – Phoenicia Hotel

By Rami on January 20, 2011 in Reviews

I was invited to a tasting at Eau de Vie Phoenicia last night which has been renovated and re-opened in November with a new design and exquisite menu.

I’ve never been to the place before, but I’ve been told it used to target old people prior to the renovation, and they’re now trying to attract younger people. Although I’m not really sure how many “young” people will be able to afford the prices on the menu, but I believe the overall experience of the place is worth it!

The staff was so friendly and took us on a small tour around the place to show us their new wine, whiskey, and cigar storage rooms, the new lounges and how small private areas can now be booked for groups of 50 people without really disturbing other guests, and of course their fantastic view of the Mediterranean and the mountains.

And then came the food… which was no less than awesome! We first got served some smoked salmon and a variety of salads, followed by our choice among 4 mouth watering main dishes, and finally a variety of really really REALLY GOOD desserts.

I totally recommend the place and I really hope they maintain their taste and quality of food, unlike other places in Beirut.

Oh and now that Valentine’s day is getting near, I suggest you book a table for two by the window at Eau de Vie if you’re on the look for a nice fancy place for you and your loved one, and I guarantee it’ll be your winning card 😉

Gou: A good place for tea in Achrafieh

By Rami on January 7, 2011 in Reviews

Finding a good cup of coffee is an easy job in Beirut, but finding a good cup of tea where most places serve you a hot cup of water along with a Lipton tea bag is a totally different story!

A friend of mine introduced me a while ago to a place in Achrafieh called “Gou”, a Restaurant/Patisserie/Salon de Thé, or so says the sign at the entrance. Anyway the place has several menus for food an beverages, and totally separate one for tea only containing at least 30 different selections! Each with a brief description about the ingredients and it benefits, along with the recommended infusion time.

On my first time there I order “thé du Hammam”, a Turkish blend I guess, and on my second time I had a Russian selection called “Anastasia”. The former was my favorite, although the latter was not bad at all.

Any tea you select is priced at 8,000 L.L (almost double the price than any other place), but you’ll actually get served a hot pot of water, along with the tea to infuse, that will make you at least three good cups of tea guaranteed to make an hour of your afternoon. I know it worked for me! 😛

If you’d like to try it, Gou is located at Tabaris, Saint Nicolas street, right behind IBL bank.

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