Spotted the above graffiti last night in Gymayze. No idea what it means.

I passed by Brgr Co today for lunch since it was another burger place that came highly recommended. When we first sat down the waiter asked if it was our first time and then proceeded to explain the different burger cuts and gave his recommendation based on how we like our burgers cooked. That’s a good sign. I originally wanted to go for the 8oz burger but based on the waiters recommendation I ended up with the 6oz patty and added aged English cheddar to it. I asked for the burger to be cooked medium since with the 6oz they recommend either medium rare or medium.

The burger arrived pretty quickly, I would say less than 10 minutes after we had placed the order. At first glance it looked pretty good, the bun was the perfect size with the patty sticking out every so slightly. The patty also looked juicy and the cheese decently proportioned. I noticed they had placed the condiments on the side which I appreciate. I personally believe condiments like lettuce and tomato take away from the flavor of the burger plus I don’t like the combination of cold condiments mixed with a hot juicy patty. I quickly took out my camera and snapped my shots before I dug into the burger.

First thing I noticed is the fact the burger was medium rare. I don’t mind eating a medium rare burger or even a rare one but I had originally ordered mine medium and if it was anyone else they might have been upset at a site of a bloody burger and would have had it sent back to the kitchen. With just 3 patty sizes it shouldn’t be hard for them to get the temperature right. I enjoyed my burger with my only comment being that I found the outside of the patty hard with the inside very soft. I prefer my burgers soft all over since I like biting into one and having the meat crumble in my mouth. It’s not the best burger I’ve had and probably not in my top 10 list either but, when I was done with mine I felt like having another one and that’s a good thing.

I’d definitely go back to Brgr co again. The next time I’d probably go with the 8oz patty since I’d love to see how that thick patty would look with the bun. On a side note I thought the interior was very cozy and the service was really friendly. Right now this is my favorite burger in Lebanon but I still have a few more places I need to try.

Internet will NOT change drastically within few weeks and we will NOT be getting 3G technology before 2012. That’s what the miniter of telecommunications claimed today correcting rumors that were alleged to him in Assafir.[Link]

The article states that there are three phases for the 3G switch:
- First Phase in September 2011: Testing.
- Second Phase in October 2011: 3G in Beirut & Mount Lebanon.
- Third & Final Phase: 3G all over Lebanon start of 2012.

I thought they already did the necessary tests few months back?

I have a feeling we’re gonna be hearing about more delays as we get closer to the deadline.

I was just saying in my previous post that the government should not be proud of having one of the the highest cost of living in the region, and then I read this. [Source]

More than 90% of Lebanese cannot afford an apartment in Beirut nowadays, and are running away from Beirut and its surroundings because of the real estate prices leaving our capital to Arabs and foreigners.

Our country is for sale and we think that’s a positive thing. I only wish we knew who that “private sector source close to major government telecom projects” is.

According to the cost of living survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting, Beirut ranked as the 75th most expensive city worldwide in 2011, out of 214 cities included in the survey, while it ranked 80th last year. Beirut ranked 3rd most expensive across 18 surveyed MENA cities, while it ranked in 4th position last year. [Link]

I truly hope our government doesn’t take this ranking as a compliment as such a high cost of living, with so few services offered, a weak infrastructure and ridiculous minimum wages, is not something to be proud of.

I know there are a lot of Classic Burger Joint fans out there and I figured it would be proper of me to share with you some of my favorite burgers so that you guys could better understand why I didn’t like the CBJ burger. So click on (more) below to see “some” pictures I’ve taken of some of my favorite burgers around the world. Make sure you’re not fasting when you see them!

Read the rest of this entry »

Is anyone using a Netgear DSL modem with their IDM account? I bought a new Netgear model to replace the Thomson one I got from IDM but I can’t seem to get the Netgear modem to connect. I called up support but they don’t have details on all the settings. I know it’s PPPoE and the VPI/VCI is 0/35 but that’s the only information I’ve gotten from them and it doesn’t seem to be enough since my modem isn’t connecting. Any help would be appreciated!

I tried Lebanese Brew awhile ago and I didn’t like it. If you’re a fan of Laziza you’ll probably like this. Personally, I’m sticking to my Almaza.

As I previously mentioned I’m going to be reviewing all the burger places while I am here in Lebanon on my vacation. I know other blogs have already reviewed most of the burger places here but I believe I bring a different view and that is one of a true burger lover.

I decided to pass by and try Classic Burger Joint today after reading a lot of positive feedback. I figured I would start with the favorite to set the bar for the rest but after trying Classic Burger Joint I don’t think I am going to do that.

I went to the new CBJ branch that opened up in downtown Beirut. The menu isn’t big, it’s got a few burgers, 2 desserts, 2 salads and that’s basically it. You can’t choose the thickness of the patty and when I placed my order the waiter didn’t even ask me how I wanted my burger. So far not a good sign. I decided to go with the Classic Cheese which according to the waiter is their most popular burger and I honestly have no idea why.

When the burger arrived I couldn’t see the beef patty. The bun was just too big and the patty was very thin. I read gourmet on the menu and I read authentic but the burger I had was nothing close. The patty tasted frozen and was very dry while the bun was just too big and overpowered the whole burger. The burger actually reminded me of the Crepaway and Roadster burgers which isn’t a good thing.

Overall I was really disappointed since I had high hopes and now not sure what to expect with the other burger places. The waiter asked me what I thought of my burger and I told him, I also left my feedback on their comments card so hopefully they’ll do something about it. Not a good start to my best burger in Lebanon hunt.

[Full Pic]

Beirut’s location and environmental condition sets it in the zone that will rise between 10 to 20mm/year in the best case scenario. To start understanding this rise and the effects a look at Beirut’s topography is required and then the effects in the next millennium or two of the rise of the Mediterranean on Beirut. The results are shocking and yet we remain unaware of them. What can we do and how can we build and plan our cities for the centuries to come?

A wake up call from Beirut the Fantastic to architects, the government, policy-makers, planners and engineers and the general public.

This is an update on last year’s post on VISA restrictions for Arab countries.

According to Henley & Partners’ Visa Restrictions Index, a global ranking of 194 countries according to the travel freedoms their citizen enjoy, passport holders from parts of the Arab world now need visas to enter more countries. Not surprisingly, the lowest-ranked Arab country was Lebanon with visa-free access to 33 countries. [Link]

Jad was kind enough to compile the list of countries Lebanese can have visa-free access to. Check out the full list [Here].

According to this article, it costs nowadays 7$ to prepare a Fattoush salad, which is equivalent to almost 200$ monthly. That’s just crazy, specially during Ramadan where Fattoush is a must-have dish on every Iftar!

You can read more about it [Here]

Lebanese houmous that’s made in Israel. Funny. [Link]

Thanks Maykel

Pictures taken yesterday.

Thank you Reine!