Marion – Atelier de Gourmandises

I passed by Le Mall Dbayeh last Thursday to have lunch but had no idea where to go. I walked across Level2, which is packed with all sorts of restaurants, before I finally got to Marion Bistro and decided to give it a try. Marion is a French Bistro located at the best possible spot on Level2, with an outdoor terrace overlooking the highway and Marina Dbayyeh. It serves brunch, lunch and dinner and has one of the best salad bars!

What I liked most about this place it that it’s spacious and situated in a relatively calm corner of the mall. It’s the ideal place for families but also for couples to hang out away from the overly-crowded diners, pizzerias and burger places. It also overlooks the mall, the highway and part of the Marina Dbayyeh, which I know is not that great but better than not having any view at all.

As far as the food is concerned, you can choose from a large selection of salads, appetizers, sandwiches, pastas, hot dishes and of course their list of desserts all at reasonable prices. I’ve been to Marion 3 times already and was pleased with most of the dishes I ordered. I liked their Club Saumon, the “Australien Black Angus” steak, Coq au Vin and the Vitello Tonnato appetizer. The quiche however wasn’t that great and overpriced.

Filet de Boeuf Bresilien

Added to that, I am a big fan of salad bars and Marion has one of the best salad bars in Lebanon. The display is great, there’s a decent selection of ingredients and the salad dressings are put in small pitchers on the side, which is better and neater in my opinion than those large bowls and ladles.

Salad Bar

Moving on to my favorite part, which are the desserts, I strongly recommend the Mi-Cuit Au Chocolat and the Creme Brulee. I didn’t like their Tiramisu though.

Mi-Cuit au Chocolat (Using Belgian Chocolate)

All in all, Marion is my favorite type of restaurants, as it’s spacious, has a decent salad bar, some good desserts and fine dishes. Price-wise, the majority of items vary between 15 and 20$ (excluding desserts) and the salad bar is priced at 22,000 which I think is a reasonable price.

If you wish to know more about Marion, visit their Facebook Page [Here].