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Simit Sarayi is Opening in Lebanon

By Rami on August 10, 2017 in Food

I was at the Spot Choueifat last night when I noticed that Simit Sarayi is set to soon open there on the ground floor. I’m sure those who have been to Istanbul are familiar with the place, but for those who are not, Simit Sarayi is basically a chain of coffee shops / bakeries best known for their simit (circular bread similar to bagels encrusted with sesame seeds).

Wherever you go around Istanbul you are guaranteed to stumble upon one of its branches, so it is more like a Turkish version of Starbucks. Their prices are a bit higher than other places and street simit vendors though, but from my experience the service and the pastries freshness were always well worth it.

The only other place in Beirut that serves simit is a Turkish restaurant in Hamra called Mado but they never serve them fresh, so I hope Simit Sarayi commit to better quality standards.

On a side note I’m personally finding it a bit weird for F&B companies to launch some of their brands from the Spot Choueifat. The mall doesn’t have an ideal location and driving to it is not really a pleasant experience especially at night. Still, IHOP opened last week and now Simit Sarayi is expected to do so anytime soon…

Update:

A friend told me they are also opening soon at Citymall Dora.

13 Year Old Boy Defeats Security Controls at Beirut Airport

By Rami on September 2, 2016 in Random

beirut airport

This is definitely one of the weirdest news stories lately. Walid Shabti, A 13 year old Palestinian refugee from Bourj Al-Barajneh, was apparently fed up with his living conditions here and simply decided to escape the country. He somehow managed to get on board an airplane going to Istanbul after bypassing all security checkpoints at Beirut airport, but was later busted and departed back to Beirut.

Knowing that airport security is supposed to be tightened these days, this boy must have been either extremely smart or extra lucky to bypass all the controls. I mean there are around 4 checkpoints where you will be asked to show your passport/ticket before you are allowed on board and he still made it.

Out of all this though, I guess the best thing is that he has one hell of an adventure to tell his friends about now!

Barbar among CNN’s best kebab joints

By Rami on May 14, 2013 in Lebanon

barbar_shawarma

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!

saray iskender

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!

Al siddiq Photo via illaf.net

Fetih 1453 officially banned in Lebanon

By Rami on October 5, 2012 in Lebanon

The Turkish movie “Fetih 1453” just joined the list of banned movie in Lebanon today. According to this article in Lebanon Debate, it seems like the General Security took the decision today following the protests that accused the movie of being disrespectful to Christians earlier.

To make sure, I checked Cyberia’s movie guide and didn’t find Fetih 1453 listed among the currently showing movies anymore.

Still, I believe the ban is useless since it was shown in Turkey in the beginning of 2012 and it’s currently widely available for download on the internet.

Will “Fetih 1453” be banned in Lebanon?

By Rami on September 28, 2012 in Lebanon

Seems like it’s now the Christians turn to get upset over a movie!

“Fetih 1453” is a new Turkish movie that started showing yesterday in Lebanon about the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottomans led by Sultan Mohammad II. And I’ve heard several times on the news that some people are finding it insulting because of how the Romans were shown in the movie.

With a budget exceeding 18 million dollars, “Fetih 1453” is a Turkish action film and one of the most important movies showing the conquest of Constantinople from the Turkish point of view.
However, the Byzantine Church in Lebanon seems not to agree with the Turkish analysis, and considers that the film insults Christian sanctities and symbols.

In the past few days, a number of activists on Facebook have been protesting against the reformulation of the history of Constantinople in the film “Fetih 1453”, which, according to them, contains false historical facts.

These activists will be holding a sit-in on Saturday September 29 at 4 pm at Sassine Square in protest of what they consider “an offense to the Christian civilization”. They will also protest outside the movie theaters that will be showing the film expected to be released on September 27. Source

The movie is showing at City Mall and Empire theaters by the way, and I just found it available online here on Vimeo.

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