Today’s giveaway is from the oldest diner in Lebanon, Crepaway and consists of 8 vouchers each worth 20$.

Four winners will be selected today!

Crepaway has been around for 25 years now and is spread all over Lebanon and the Arab world with over 12 branches. I remember going to the first Crepaway ever on the Maameltein highway with my folks when i was a kid and take turns with other kids on the Harley bike. Years later, Crepaway Kaslik became my daily hangout for quite a long time and is still my favorite Crepaway.

What i love most about Crepaway is their sandwiches (Chicken Sub, Submarine) and their delicious sweet (Martine) and savory (Beatrice) crepes!

For more information about Crepaway, visit their website and also check out their delivery menu. [Link]

NB: You need to put your proper email in the email field when commenting since the winner will be contacted by email. You can only comment once, anyone caught commenting more than once will get disqualified.

Update: The poll is closed

And the winners are: [Here]

Comments #3,#12,#18,#42, check your emails to collect your gifts.

Update: Some of the comments got deleted when uninstalling Disqus. Check [Here]

A friend of mine informed me that they found an ancient burial ground at the Sama Beirut construction site in Achrafieh. Apparently the project has been on hold for the past couple of months because of this.

Today’s giveaway is from Maki Japanese Restaurant and consists of a dinner worth $75 at their branch in Sodeco, Beirut.

The first time I went to Maki was more than a year ago and it was very different from any Sushi place i had visited before. It offered the largest selection of contemporary Japanese cuisine I’ve seen so far and i felt like tasting everything on the menu. The service was also quick and the waiters very friendly and professional. I remember asking about many items and receiving meticulous explanations as well as certain recommendations in case i had any favorite fish or any allergies.

Maki has received so many strong recommendations and excellent reviews that I honestly don’t feel I can add anything that could make it look better. It is an exceptional place that I recommended to all Sushi and fusion lovers.

For more information about Maki, visit their website [Here]. There is also a map online for those wishing to visit it in Beirut. If you prefer to have your Japanese at home Maki also deliver.

NB: You need to put your proper email in the email field when commenting since the winner will be contacted by email. You can only comment once, anyone caught commenting more than once will get disqualified.

Update from Mark: I just wanted to add to Najib’s post and mention some of my favorite dishes at Maki which are the Issa Maki, the Fusion 1, Wazani II, Chicken in Plumb sauce, Negimayaki, Edamame in Spicy sauce and the Majed maki.

Update: The poll is closed and the winner is [Here]

Comment#40, you’ve got mail!

Picture above from Kuweat

I don’t get it… They renovated the road but somehow still managed to make sure that all 15 manhole covers are at least 3 centimeters above the asphalt level! Why can’t they do the entire thing right for once?!

I love this car… [YouTube]

Today’s give away is quite different from the previous ones and is a 100$ voucher from one of Lebanon’s most recent and best supplement stores, Shape up Store.

I have to be honest i wasn’t familiar nor comfortable with the idea of taking supplements until my friends opened up this store. They dedicated few months before opening to studying all types of supplements, understanding their pros and cons, getting the best there is out there and most importantly acquiring the necessary knowledge to pass it along to customers and friends. What helped them the most was their athletic background as both founders are professional basketball players in Lebanon.

Their philosphy says it all:
“At Shape Up, we take sports nutrition very seriously. We believe it is the key to succeed in any athletic quest whether you are a professional bodybuilder, athlete, or just an active person that works out simply for the fun of it. We believe a well balanced diet with the right supplements is all you need to reach your full potential. Look, Feel, and Perform like you’ve never done before!”

Shape Up Store has been around for more than a year now and is already the official Lebanese Basketball team supplier. For those of you who visited the last inShape event, they brought a lot of attention as their stands were always crowded. They also have a certified AUB dietitian to help them out.

What is most attractive about this store is that you don’t need to visit the store to place your orders, as you can easily do it online and have your products delivered to you within one day. Not many supplement stores, if any, do this in Lebanon. They also have a female line.

For more information about Shape Up, you can visit their website and their facebook page.

PS: This is a wake up call for me to start implementing the gym program they gave me few months back to get myself back in shape!!

Update: The poll is closed and the winner is [Here]

Comment #23, you’ve got mail!

NB: You need to put your proper email in the email field when commenting since the winner will be contacted by email. You can only comment once, anyone caught commenting more than once will get disqualified.

I found a Sodetel recharge card, and I gotta tell you, spelling is not one of their strong points… I think it’s really embarrassing that an IT company doesn’t use spell-check…

- 1st bullet point:
Wrong: wirless
Right: wireless

- 3rd bullet point:
Wrong: Propertied
Right: properties

- Second paragraph:
Wrong: registrationm ir you may need ti Restart
Right: registration or you may need to restart

- Third paragraph:
Wrong: insrtuctions
Right: instructions

- Third paragraph:
Wrong: Registraion.
Right: registration

- Third paragraph:
Wrong: minures (MY FAVORITE! how long is a minure??)
Right: minutes

- Bottom right corner:
Wrong: Email Serrings.
Right: Email settings

And what’s up with random words with capital letters?

So embarrassing… I wonder which illiterate person approved this card…

Don’t forget! Turn off your modem for 5 minures! lol

This is awesome!

I spotted this sign in Gemmayze. Are you allowed to dictate your own exchange rate??

Today’s giveaway is offered by Zaatar W Zeit and consists of four free meal vouchers. Two lucky winners will get each two free meals.

Zaatar wou Zeit started out in 1999 as a simple yet modern “man2ouche” place and throughout the years evolved to become one of Lebanon’s leading restaurants with some exquisite sandwiches and manakish. ZWZ is open in Kaslik, Jeita, ABC Mall Achrafieh, Bliss Street in Hamra and Sodeco.

The funny part about ZWZ is that it became the perfect hangout and still is after a party in Beirut or a long night out in one of Gemmayze’s pubs. The place would be so crowded on a Saturday night that you would need to wait in line at 3 or 4 am in the morning.

My favorite sandwich is the Halloum W Bacon and their Jebneh w Jambon and Bulghari Mtabbal are my favorite Manakish.

For more info about ZWZ, check their website [Here]

NB: You need to put your proper email in the email field when commenting since the winner will be contacted by email. You can only comment once, anyone caught commenting more than once will get disqualified.

Update: The poll is closed and the winners are comments#16 and comments#28 [VIDEO]

Mabrouk Friskies and Gaby!

Back in July, It was decided that Beirut Airport would be a completely smoke-free airport. They even went as far as removing the ashtrays. But we all know that in Lebanon rules are heavily enforced for the first couple of days after a decision has been made.

I was at the airport last week and I saw darak (cops), amn el 3am (general security) and passengers smoking all over the place.

Since there are no more ashtrays, they are basically putting out there cigarettes in the place where the ashtrays used to be.

Today’s giveaway is offered by Sushi Xpress and consists of two ‘Blue Toyo’ set menus, each containing 20 pieces and a ‘Crazy X salad’. We will select two winners today.

Created in 2003, Sushi Xpress is a refreshing alternative to the traditional sushi bar image. Unique in its genre, and fortified with the superior quality ingredients as well as the unsurpassed proficiency of Le Sushi Bar, Beirut’s top sushi eatery, this new meeting point will benefit from the latter’s same better-quality standards.

I remember having Sushi for the first time ever there back in 2004 or so but i had no clue they are related to Le Sushi Bar, which is one of Lebanon’s best Sushi places. The design of Sushi Xpress is very funky and different than any other Sushi place you would go to and I highly recommend the winners to try out their specialities: Club Maki, Sushi Balls, Seaweed and Crab Salad, Crispy Tuna.

Click [Here] to check out their cool website and see the latest delivery menu they uploaded. Apparently, you can pay using your credit card upon receiving your delivery orders, a feature i have yet to see in Lebanon. [Link]

Sushi Xpress delivers from 12 till 12 and is located in Achrafieh, Beirut.

Update: The poll is closed and the winners are [here].

Mabrouk to comment#28 and comment#26.

Update2: It appears one of the comments has an invalid email, so i did the draw again for one winner who turned out to be comment #1 !! Mabrouk to Johny who thought he could never win.

NB: You need to put your proper email in the email field when commenting since the winner will be contacted by email. You can only comment once, anyone caught commenting more than once will get disqualified.

I was picking up Toufic’s gift from Maya yesterday at Virgin Megastores when i spotted a board game called Lebanopoly on the stand right next to the book signing one.

It is basically a Lebanese customized Monopoly and costs 26.6$. It is a very nice idea but the only inconvenient is that it is full of ads instead of reflecting all of Lebanon, meaning that shops, restaurants, residences paid to have their name on it, so you go shopping at Fiordelli or pass by Byblos Bank etc …

I wanted to buy it but hesitated after seeing those.

That’s the only way i understood this sign because i don’t really see how can one endanger his life by passing by this small tarmac road that gets you inside Golden Beach hotel.