To celebrate their 15th anniversary, it came to my knowledge that Roadster Diner will be launching a new burger called Route 66. So I asked the cool people at Roadster about it and was informed it will be made out of 250g of American prime beef, lettuce, melted cheddar cheese, sweet red onion, fresh tomato, pickles, and the new R 66 sauce.
I also got the below photo of it (click to enlarge) which shows that Route 66 will be served with the usual coleslaw salad, in addition to crunchy potato dipper and a sour herbs special dip for a change.
I personally haven’t had a burger since Ramadan started, and the Route 66 seems like a good one to have after Eid!
We actually have sambousek, r2a2at, fatayer, and some others, but there’s definitely nothing Lebanese about these banana, peas and cheese stuffed rolls that are currently being offered by Domino’s Pizza India!
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.
We ordered the following: Basterma with quail egg, two pieces of soubereg, cherry kebab, batata harra, mouhammara, soujouk, and two soft drinks.
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.
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.
CNN chose Barbar among their favorite Kebab joints in the world for the chicken shawarma it offers, and they got it right as Barbar’s shawarma is one of the best in town. Four other joints were chosen from Turkey, Israel, Greece, and Iran.
I once tasted the shawarma they do in Turkey at a famous place called Saray in Istanbul and thought it’s pretty awesome. The spices they use are a bit different I guess, and they serve it on a bed of bread with tomato sauce on top and yogurt on the side. It beats the Lebanese shawarma anytime!
Also, one country I believe is missing from CNN’s list is Syria, since they’re known for their good kebab too. A good friend once took me to a quite old and famous restaurant called “Al-Siddiq” in an area called “Al-Qanawat” in Damascus, and its shawarma was really out of this world. The portion you get there is pretty generous with a pita bread on top, and also tastes much better than our Lebanese shawarma. If only the country is not at war now!
I’ve always thought Lebanese food is so underrated, and this video is just a proof of how fascinating is our cuisine to foreigners (in addition to showing the positive image of Lebanon for a change!). Great work by Bethany Kehdy.
After blogging about their competition last week, The Hangout were kind enough to invite for a dinner two days ago.
The first thing you’ll notice when entering the place, is that unlike what its name tells, The Hangout is more of a fine dining restaurant than a place to really hangout at with your friends. It’s nicely decorated, spacious with indoor and outdoor areas unlike most of the places in the neighborhood, and the staff is quite friendly and welcoming.
Given that The Hangout is still operating in soft opening stage, I found the food to be quite good. I totally loved the Foie gras, the chicken rolls, the fried mushroom, the grilled sojok, and their gourmet burger. I also overheard at an adjacent table that the salad bar is pretty good too. The other items were good as well, but I thought they could be improved a bit.
For example, I would have preferred the onion soup to be a little thicker, and the beef stroganoff meat a bit tender. The desserts on the other hand need to be re-worked, and don’t get me wrong, they’re seriously not bad, but I personally believe a great dessert can turn an average meal into a memorable event, and that’s what one would expect from a place like The Hangout.
Anyway, the overall experience was very pleasant, and the restaurant’s atmosphere alone can set you in a good mood even if you just went there for some drinks or wine at the bar. It’s definitely worth a try.
I was quite surprised to read about BRGR Co. opening its first outlet outside Lebanon in London, since we’re basically used to burger restaurants from the US and Europe coming to our region and not the other way around.
A new burger restaurant is set to open in London’s Soho next month, with the launch of BRGR.CO as the first site for the Beirut-based company.
BRGR.CO will use 28-day-aged beef from the Duke of Buccleuch Estate in south-west Scotland. Focusing on simplicity, the restaurant will serve a menu of three classic choices of burger: the 4oz, 6oz or 8oz with optional toppings of cheese or chilli-con-carne. A selection of traditional American-inspired sides, milkshakes and desserts will complete the menu offering.
The 55-seat restaurant will feature floor-to-ceiling windows as well as dark oak tables and chairs. A selection of character cow heads will be featured throughout the restaurant, which will be regularly auctioned with proceeds going to local London charities.
Located on Wardour Street, BRGR.CO Soho will be the first UK venue for the brand that operates two sites in Beirut. Source
It would be cool by the way if they also offered the Lebanese burger (the one that has the salad and fries inside it) on their menu there in London!!
I just found L’Orient-Le Jour is making a video series around Lebanon to introduce people to the Lebanese specialties from Sfiha Baalbakiyyeh, to Kibbe Nayyeh, Moujaddara and much more.
The last video was published yesterday about Halewet El-Jeben, a specialty from Tripoli, and featuring Abdel Rahman Hallab’s grandson, Zaher Hallab.
Photo via 
