I was at G-Star Raw‘s launching party last week and I was having a little chat with their Business Developer Patrick Reytenbagh who asked me which Lebanese restaurant I would recommend for a lunch or dinner for a tourist coming to Lebanon. I had a lot of places in mind but he just wanted that one-place that would leave a great impression and a one of a kind experience and the only restaurant I could think of is Babel in Dbayyeh.

I looked through my previous posts and I was surprised to see that I’ve never reviewed Babel even though I’ve been there countless times. The only post I could find was one entitled ‘Lebanese Hospitality‘ showing how generous Babel is. Everything from the presentation, the architecture, the food and the service is unique and almost perfect. Even the toilets look great lol!

Until I write a full review, I leave with some of Babel’s specialties and this nice post by NoGarlicNoOnions. Babel is located in Dbayyeh.

The only thing that’s missing is a website for the restaurant as I couldn’t find any which is pretty weird.

Picture from KevinInTheKingdom

I would have picked Kababji over Barbar.

Beirut is a cosmopolitan city where food standards are high.

When it comes to kebabs, Barbar is a Beirut institution. It’s a snack bar with branches throughout the city, but its flagship store is in trendy Hamra, where it takes up a whole block and overflows with customers night and day.

You can eat almost anything at Barbar and be happy, but the chicken shawarma is the tastiest pint-sized snack.

Marinated in spices including cardamom and cinnamon, the chicken is sliced off the rotating shawarma, laid in a piece of warm, fresh Lebanese bread with a smear of garlic paste and a pickle. [CNN]

Thanks C!

[High-Res]
Spotted in Sin el Fil

I can’t read the last word. Never heard of it before.

[YouTube]

A great report by Kalam Ennas on Food Safety in Lebanon.

[YouTube] – by WeZank

This is awesome. I love the chef’s accent.

[Meat the Bun]

It looks like we have a new burger place in town. Has anyone tried it yet?

PS: I am not sure if this place is anyhow related to [Meat the Fish] which opened in February 2013 also.

According to a source of mine, the Cheesecake Factory is set to open by the end of July or early August at Beirut City Centre.

In case you missed it, here’s a [link] to my first visit to this new mall in town.

After my early walk in Mar Mikhail on Sunday, I thought I pass by Beirut City Centre and check it out.

It was around 1 pm when I got to Beirut City Centre and traffic was relatively reasonable. The entrance to the parking was crowded so I didn’t bother wait to park inside and found a spot easily in the large parking lots (not yet paved with asphalt) outside the mall.

The mall inside is huge. It consists of four levels with over 200 stores. The big stores open or set to open are Carrefour on the Ground Level and Level 1, CentrePoint on the Ground Level, H&M on Level1 and Marks & Spencer on Level2. You can check out the full list of stores [Here].

Level3 is the Terrace and is not yet open but I was able to check it out and take few pictures. As you can see from the pictures below, Roadster Diner will open next to the Cheese Cake Factory and Shake Shack. Vox Cinemas are also still under construction and look nice. I also spotted Nasma Restaurant (Previously known as Basma) and P.F. Chang’s.

Picture taken from Joe’s box via Lebanese Franchise Association

I just noticed Crepaway’s new social media-friendly website and spotted a really old picture of Crepaway back when it started as a Kiosk in 1984. They started off selling crepes and they still have the best crepes in town.

Picture taken from Taste of Beirut

If you want to know how to prepare these eggs and what are the ingredients, check it out [Here].

How to prepare:
- Hold each egg and cut the top with a sharp knife; collect the egg into a bowl. Wash the egg inside and out and invert on a towel to air-dry.
- Melt the chocolate chips with the butter in the microwave for one minute and stir the mixture to make it creamy; use a teaspoon to smear some cream along the rim of each egg.
- Heat the milk (less 1/2 cup) and cream in a saucepan with the sugar, cocoa, stirring from time to time until dissolved.
- Mix the cornstarch with the milk till dissolved; as soon as the milk starts steaming, pour the cornstarch mixture and stir constantly. Add a teaspoon of vanilla or brandy. The mixture should thicken within minutes. When it is very thick, pour into the eggs and cool on the countertop. Refrigerate covered and serve cold with a Pretzel stick inserted in each egg if desired. [TasteOfBeirut]

[YouTube]

Thanks Souraya

SPUDS is a new concept in town and the first mobile potato bar in Lebanon. I love baked potatoes and the pictures look delicious so it’s definitely worth a try. I am not sure though if eating a spud is as easy as having a hotdog or a crepe. It doesn’t look that practical specially if you are eating it in the car or on the spot.

SPUDS is a mobile potato bar, so you have to follow them to see where they are parked. You can check their updates on [Facebook] and [Twitter].

Welcome to SPUDS – a mobile potato bar that will delight your palate. A hectic university day, a busy work schedule, a fun day in the snowy mountains and you crave for food and energy? SPUDS is the address in town to grab a healthy baked potato, totally catering to your taste!
SPUDS is where the crowd gathers!
SPUDS will even turn up at the city’s biggest events and places to be and we make sure to be at your hot spot! [SPUDS]

Picture taken from ZWZ Facebook Page

I was surprised to read on Gino’s blog yesterday that the newly open Zaatar wou Zeit in Hamra does not service pork or alcohol. The reason was not explained to him in the branch but ZWZ justified this ban by linking it to “leasing conditions”.

Here’s what Gino wrote:

I sat down, ordered a ham and cheese mankooshe. The waiter suggested cheese and turkey, so I asked if they were out of ham or something, he ensured me that that specific branch does not serve pork. I ordered something else “halal” and then asked for an Almaza, he said alcohol was not served at that branch either. [Full Post]

And how the Zaatar W Zeit Team explained it:

Dear All,

We are very fond of Hamra and we love to be part of its full-of-life streets. We couldn’t miss the opportunity to open there and let our customers enjoy the experience we have to offer. However, we had to do some amendments on our menu in order to still be able to cater to our loyal fans, while respecting the leasing conditions.

Adaptability and respect of others’ opinions are an integral part of the ZWZ culture. Our objective is to reach all customers in all regions while serving safe and delicious food.

Finally, we’d love to see you all in our other close branches, such as Bliss, Gemmayze or Sodeco, where you can enjoy our full menu, no exception whatsoever!

Have a great day ahead.

Zaatar W Zeit Team. [Source]

Now this may seem reasonable if this was a franchise but Zaatar W Zeit clearly stated that all ZWZ stores in Lebanon are owned by one company and thus aren’t franchised. If that’s the case, the question that comes to mind is whether it is legal to set leasing conditions of this type on a restaurant. Can’t they point out that there’s pork in some items (like they do now with the little piglet) and let customers decide if they want it or not? Where’s the harm in that?

Last but not least, the branch is not that far away from a street filled with pubs and bars that obviously serve alcohol and people who go there are the most likely to be visiting the ZWZ branch after a long drinking night, add to that LAU students so I am not sure who they are trying to reach with this ban.

If I were ZWZ, I would have simply picked another spot in Hamra.

Picture taken by myself via Instagram: One of ZWZ’s best sandwiches, Ham & Cheese and no it’s not the same if you replace the ham with turkey.

Marlene turned out to be a fish.

The famous Abdul Rahman Hallab Sweets shop is opening on the Jounieh highway soon. That’s great news as I will no longer have to go to Tripoli to enjoy their awesome Halawit el Jeben.

You can check out more about Hallab on its [website]

Source