Tag Archives | armenian

Onno Restaurant – Bourj Hammoud

Onno Bourj Hammoud (8)

Back when I posted about Varouj, several people recommended that I go try Onno, another Armenian restaurant in Bourj Hammoud, and I totally regret not doing so until lately as I found it really fantastic!

The restaurant is located right underneath the bridge that connects Achrafieh to Dekweneh facing Life Center, and it is quite small and cozy with a few tables that fit around 20 people I guess. So don’t go there expecting something fancy, as the focus there is the food, which is cooked by the family who owns the place.

Onno Bourj Hammoud (1) Onno Bourj Hammoud (2) Onno Bourj Hammoud (3)

We ordered the following: Basterma with quail egg, two pieces of soubereg, cherry kebab, batata harra, mouhammara, soujouk, and two soft drinks.

Onno Bourj Hammoud (4) Onno Bourj Hammoud (6) Onno Bourj Hammoud (5)

The portions were pretty generous and tasted quite good as well, I especially loved the cherry kebab and basterma since it was the first time for me to try it with quail eggs. And the best part had to be the bill, which came at 55,000 L.L for everything we ordered,which is less than half what you would pay at other places like Mayrig or Mayas, for much more authentic Armenian food in my opinion.

Onno Bourj Hammoud (7)

Needless to say, Onno is totally recommended, and I’m planning to go again soon to try the other stuff they have like manti, quails, and frog legs. Check below what Alain Bourdain had to say about it in his travel and food show No Reservations back in 2011.

Update:

For those who are interested, Onno’s phone number is 03 801 476.

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Varouj Restaurant – Bourj Hammoud

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.

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Ichkhanian bakery

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.

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Fayha Choir on Arabs’ Got Talent

Great performance by The Fayha Choir on Arab’s Got Yalent!

The FAYHA CHOIR, established since 2003, and conducted ever since by Maestro Barkev Taslakian, is sponsored by Safadi Foundation and Azm & Saada association. It supports the choir financially and morally, which helps it to improve and perform at its best, locally or internationally. The choir is composed of nearly 50 males and females members, from Tripoli and suburbs citizens, who represent the Lebanese population with all its religions, social, political, economical affiliations. The choir’s repertoire includes Lebanese, oriental, as well as French, English, Latin, Armenian and other songs. This diversity reflects the choir’s openness to the human heritage.

Thank you Nour!

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