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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.

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Nahr El Mot bridge mocked

By on April 23, 2012 in Lebanon

The bridge might be illogical, but it’s about time people learn which lane to drive in depending on their destination.

The traffic jam is all caused by people heading to Sin El Fil and insist to drive on the left side of the road until the last few meters before reaching the bridge located on the right side. That of course forces them to suddenly slow down and make a right turn to take the bridge, causing everyone behind them to slow down as well.

Keep left if you’re going to Beirut, and right when going to Sin El Fil! Easy!

Update:

Here’s the Facebook page of the people behind that sign.

Thank you @Marilynzakhour

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Photos from the Cedars cigarettes factory

By on April 18, 2012 in Lebanon

I always love to see how things are made, even the simplest ones, and so I found it cool that Executive magazine got inside the Cedars cigarettes factory located inside Lebanon’s Regie and documented in photos the process of producing that brand.

Cedars is to my knowledge the cheapest cigarettes brand in Lebanon since it’s the only local one, and is made from tobacco grown in the south of Lebanon, but is always mocked for its poor quality. Anyway, you may check the photos here.

Thanks to Michael Chaftari

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The many pleasures of Beirut

By on April 17, 2012 in Lebanon

Right when we got bored of the numerous articles in The New York Times and other international journals about Zaitounay Bay, Downtown Beirut and always comparing the two places to a rising phoenix, comes this slide show by Newsweek to show the real pleasures of Beirut.

Jared Moossy, a photographer and also the author of this slideshow, unusually decided to shed light on the other side of Beirut and visit areas like Basta, Bourj Hammoud, the Cornish, and the pigeons’ rock. He’s definitely not the first one to write about these places, but it’s good to let tourists be more aware of these authentic areas. I mean it’s cool to have a dinner at the Beirut marina, but trust me it’s way cooler to have some authentic Armenian food at a place like Varouj in Bourj Hammoud, which I’ll soon be posting a review about.

You may click here to check the “pleasures” chosen by Newsweek.

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16 Governmental websites hacked today

By on April 17, 2012 in Lebanon

Looks like the hack of 4 governmental websites last month was just a warm up. A group called RYV (Raise Your Voice) hacked 16 other websites today morning and left a message asking the government to solve its self-made problems, and encouraging the people to mobilize and stand up for their demands. You can check the full list  of websites here on Pastebin.

“We are RYV, short for Raise Your Voice, and we are simply a group of people who could not bear sitting in silence, watching all the crimes and injustice going on in Lebanon,” the group said.

It vowed to continue hacking the sites until the Lebanese people earn the rights they are asking for and until living standards are improved.

“We will not stop until this government’s self-made problems are solved, like the power shortage, water shortage, rise in gas prices and rise in food product prices,” the group said.

“We are RYV, expect us to break the silence, whether in the streets or on the Internet,” it said, stressing that “silence is a crime.” Source

The message of course speaks our minds (except that nobody is probably ready to mobilize), but I’m not sure how well was that message grasped by our dear politicians!

You can stay up to date with RYV’s latest news through their twitter and Facebook accounts.

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BRGR Co coming to Beirut Souks

By on April 15, 2012 in Lebanon

I was passing by Beirut Souks last night and noticed BRGR Co will soon be opening there.

It will will be accessible from Patriarche Hoyek street, close to where Bershka, Stradivarius, and Pull & Bear are located.

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Flash mob commemorating the Lebanese civil war

By on April 14, 2012 in Lebanon

An NGO called CitiAct conducted this flash mob at Hamra street on the commemoration day of the Lebanese civil war yesterday.

A couple of drivers pretended they’re fighting in the middle of the road when people around them suddenly started dropping dead, which pretty much resembles to the situation during the days of the civil war when innocent people were dying for the warlords who are now ruling the country.

Tenzekir w ma ten3ad… nshalla!

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BETA at risk of losing their location

By on April 13, 2012 in Lebanon

I’m surprised this news didn’t make it to any of the local websites/newspapers. I actually just read on CNN that BETA (Beirut for the Ethical Treatments of Animals) is now at risk of losing their location because their neighbors no longer want animals to surround them.

“We have villas behind us and they are suing us. They want us out,” said Hesayne. “Now we have to find a land. The problem is nobody wants to have dogs around them.”

Hesayne and her colleague Sevine Zahran have lobbied the Lebanese government to increase its animal-protection laws. Lebanon is one of a few countries not signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), making it an easy transit point for wildlife smugglers, and it has few domestic animal-protection laws. Source

With all the problems the country is currently going through, protecting animals is one of the least of people’s concern I guess.

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Haze over Beirut

By on April 7, 2012 in Lebanon

I was driving from Tripoli to Beirut yesterday when I was surprised with a haze covering the area from Zouk all the way to Khaldeh. It was actually the first time for me to see a haze that thick on the coastline, even flights were halted for a couple of hours at Beirut airport.

Here’s a couple of photos that I found on Facebook taken by Mr. Mohamad Mashnouk around sunset. You’d think the first one was taken in Dubai.

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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.

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