Lebanon Dining

[nikkib]

Not quite sure where this fits into the scheme of things but here is a takeaway we got the other night. Chicken from a rotisserie with chips (french fries) garlic sauce, markouk bread (wrapped around the chicken to soak up the juices and keep it warm) and pickles. All for $12 and washed down with the fridge full of almaza i stocked up at the beginning of the week. You see roast chicken shops everywhere - when i went to visit friends in Akkar (very north of Lebanon) they were literally all i saw after Tripoli. Whenever i have visited my boyfriends family in the Bekaa we tend to pick one up en route as well.

close up of the chicken in markouk - (again sorry for the awful photos, these are all from my iphone)

[nikkib]

Spinneys ( a major supermarket chain) was en route back from the cinema (boyfriend was working late and everyone else was working so i went to see Mission Impossible at the Cinema - possibly the cheeseiest film i have seen in a long time, i really thought the first 5 minutes were a spoof!)i wanted to take some Arak back to Singapore so thought id take a few photos as well. Only managed a few before i got asked to stop, but here is some halawi as emntioned upthread by Hassouni, Orange blossom & rose waters, grains and arak (FWIW i bought Massaya - am a huge fan of what they are doing and have met the EXTREMELY charming brothers behind it on several occasions so i have huge brand loyalty where this is concerned - if you see Massayas wine anywhere i would recommend you try it as well as they are quite different to other vineyards here)

[nikkib]

Ok so here are a few more shots from wondering around, mostly taken in the "Basta" area just by downtown.

[nikkib]

Seemed to have a few issues uploading photos - im back in Singapore now so will try to catch this up as quickly as possible - i packed a fair bit of eating into the last few days...

More food stalls/shops etc

[nikkib]

My boyfriend had an appointment in Hamra so i hopped along for the ride. As i wasnt ready to eat lunch (and it was POURING with rain) i decided to go and chill out in Cafe Hamra, a relaxed shisha lounge/restaurant/cafe serving salad bar, lebanese dishes and international snacks too. Great vibe - all ages meeting to do business, work on uni projects, smoke, eat relax with a book etc. Whilst i cant vouch for the food, its a good place to soak up the atmosphere

[nikkib]

Selection of "mouajanat" or hot mezze at Karawan in Baabda - Cheese rakakat, sambousik (almost like meat filled empanadas/cornish pasties)Kebbe and spinach fatayer. Drove up there to meet friends over a glass of wine/pot of tea

[nikkib]

AS promised, Abdel wahab restaurant just off Sodeco. This is unmissable for anyone visiting Lebanon i feel. Best appreciated at night, on the terrace in Summer but a sure fire hit whenever you go. Being on my own can make it hard to order mezze as i hate wasting food and ordering only one or two dishes can get a bit repetitive. I was in a Brunchy kind of mood as i'd had only coffee and a little arabic bread with laban for breakfast so opted for Fried eggs with Sojok sausages and fried potatoes with coriander, garlic and lemon.

They serve fruit to everyone after your meal, so i had another delicious pear and a clementine (which are growing everywhewre in beirut right now!) and coffee

A few menu shots and the restaurant itself ( i was particularly taken with the 6 men next to me who ordered a portion of raw kibbe EACH as well as raw liver to go with the tabbouleh and fattoush. this would have been their first of many "courses")

[nikkib]

Yannick Alleno, Head Chef of Le Meurice has just opened two restaurants here, a brasserie and patisserie/cafe. I wanted to squeeze in a visit so went to Sweet Tea, the patisserie. I chose a mini rum baba which was out of this world divine (although i would have struggled to eat a larger one as it was sooo sweet) and a scoop (from a long list) of homemade salt caramel icecream that was simply divine. With a glass of wine this set me back $12 - great value although a slightly sterile ambience.

[nikkib]

Cocktails at Joe penas in Gemmayze, a sort of Floridita style cocktail bar/restaurant. The food is actually very decent, atmosphere is great and more importantly, cocktails are $5 during happy hour!!! You also have access to a help yourself nacho bar so it would be rude not to indulge.. A small side plate with nachos, melted cheese, salsa and lots of jalapenos. I had an Aperol Sour, my friend a Guadaloupe - white rum, cointreau, coconut, pineapple and passion fruit. Both very tasty indeed!

[nikkib]

My last breakfast :-( weather was very changeable but i was determined to sit on the balcony one last time...

Spinach fatteyer along with all the usual suspects - absolutely delicious too. A very nice leisurely breakfast for my last day

[nikkib]

My boyfriend very sweetly cancelled his meetings so we could spend my last day together so we drove to Beit eddine (a truly spectacular sight and beautiful drive) Being winter, many restaurants en route were closed but we pulled into this great restaurant by a river - can imagine it would be stunning in the summer. There were a few other tables enjoying a late lunch like ourselves. I wanted fattoush and hummus with lamb, my boyfriend insisted on aspinaya (raw lambs liver) and we added in some extra hot mezzes and a mixed grill as well as some of their home made arak that slipped down rather well indeed.

black & white pepper and salt for the liver

[nikkib]

My final beer at the airport...

So thats about everything i think, hope you have enjoyed this little taste of my past week in Beirut, hopefully someone else will update this again in the coming months, i do hope to visit again before the year is up so will do my best to blog along....

[prasantrin]

Thanks so much for doing this little travelblog. It almost makes up for you not doing a food blog when you were actually living there.

Lebanon is one of the countries I most want to visit, and you made me want to visit it more!

(I can't remember if you mentioned it, but were your breakfasts brought in by you, or did you order them through the hotel?)

[Hassouni]

Oh man Abdel Wahhab and Cafe Hamra, two of my favorites. The food at Cafe Hamra is decent if not fantastic

[nikkib]

Thanks so much for doing this little travelblog. It almost makes up for you not doing a food blog when you were actually living there.

Lebanon is one of the countries I most want to visit, and you made me want to visit it more!

(I can't remember if you mentioned it, but were your breakfasts brought in by you, or did you order them through the hotel?)

The housekeeper asked us what we wanted each morning before she left, electricity was a bit of an issue so didnt ask for anything too complicated but to be honest the breakfasts we ate were spot on and just what i wanted...

You really should visit Lebanon, it is the most amazing country, and the food is outstanding wherever you go...

[Hassouni]

Anyone going to be in Leb this summer? I'll be there June 11-20 and then from July 1-3

[cave76]

To the people posting on this blog---- please keep it up! That's selfish of me, I know, and I can understand if it's not possible.

I'm a new member to eGullet who will never be able to travel to far-away places to eat the different cuisines and blogs like this with tremendous pictures are the only way I can experience different foods, cuisines and places.

Thank you so much.

[nikkib]

To the people posting on this blog---- please keep it up! That's selfish of me, I know, and I can understand if it's not possible.

I'm a new member to eGullet who will never be able to travel to far-away places to eat the different cuisines and blogs like this with tremendous pictures are the only way I can experience different foods, cuisines and places.

Thank you so much.

Cave76 - will do our best - I am in singapore at the moent but am hoping Hassouni will update us when he gets back, im so jealous! Check out the foodblogs on the food traditions and cultures pages - from all over the world and incredibly interesting :-) happy reading and thanks