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Ichkhanian bakery

By on April 6, 2012 in Reviews

I’ve heard of “the Armenian lady” who makes great Lahme Baajin at Zokak El Blat since ever, but I never bothered checking her bakery out until last weekend and finally knew what was I missing, a lot!

People probably call her “the Armenian lady” because there isn’t lot of Armenian shops in western Beirut, while her bakery is in fact called “Ichkhanian” (by the family name of her late husband) and has been operating since before the civil war.

The Lahme Baajin you’ll find there are just awesome and could be the best in Beirut, the dough is so thin and the meat has a unique taste especially if you ask for the extra spicy mix. Perfect for a quick bite anytime a day.

The bakery also caters Manti, Shish Barak, and Borek at relatively reasonable prices, and I heard they’re great as well.

One thing you should be aware of is the bad temper that Mrs. Ichkhanian sometimes shows, she’s actually  a very nice lady but for some reason seems furious all the time. Still, the food is totally worth it.

Here’s a map showing where the bakery is exactly located and how you can reach it.

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Pasta Di Casa Clemenceau

By on March 1, 2012 in Reviews

Pasta Di Casa has got to be one of the best restaurants I’ve been to over the past months, a true gem! Located at the end of Jounblat street in Clemenceau, the restaurant’s exterior doesn’t look pretty much appealing, but the inside is really nice, it has a quiet simple decoration with old family photos on the walls making it feel so cozy.

Upon receiving our order, a couple of appetizers and a main dish for each of us, were surprised by how generous their portions are, in fact 3 our of the 4 of us didn’t even finish their meals.

I personally had a half portion of lasagna and tasted a bit of one of their steaks (“coeur de filet” I think) and shrimp pasta, all of which were really really good.

A meal for two with soft drinks at Pasta Di Casa will probably cost you 50,000L.L or even less, and the place if definitely recommended.

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Abou Sako’s big burger

By on February 5, 2012 in Reviews

Have you ever tasted this Big Burger at Abou Sako?

It’s about the size of a small pizza (20 cm) and full of your typical Lebanese burger ingredients, loads of mayo and ketchup with coleslaw salad and fries. It does a great job when you’re starving, and tastes good for a Lebanese burger, really!

Abou Sako has a variety of other sandwiches, just like any other food joint in the city, but is known to be very generous with his portions and ingredients, and yes they’re good too.

If you’re curious to check it out, it’s located at the Hayek roundabout in Sin El-Fil.

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Le Relais de l’Entrecote Beirut

By on February 2, 2012 in Reviews

The name pretty much says all what this restaurant has to offer, entrecote meat. I went there a while ago an totally loved it. They have a fixed menu consisting of a lettuce-and-walnut salad as a starter, followed by two servings of steak cooked to your taste with butter sauce and fries on the side. And trust me, the steak is really really GOOD, I had mine medium cooked.

A dinner for two with drinks will cost you around $75-80, and I know you would be paying less than that for a bigger portions at e Cafe, but Le Relais de l’Entrecote offers a really different (don’t read better) experience and atmosphere that are worth paying for.

While one could save Le Relais for romantic dinners, e Cafe is to me more suitable for casual outings, and they’re both my favorites.

Le Relais de l’Entrecote is located at Abdel Wahab el-Inglizi street and has two other branches at Verdun and Downtown.

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Best way to end the weekend

By on January 22, 2012 in Reviews

Is it just me or does anyone else get bummed out on Sunday night? I mean who really looks forward for Mondays?

Anyway, I guess I’ve discovered one of the best ways to end you’re weekend in Beirut. Go to Balthazar in Beirut Souks on a Sunday night, and order the Pain Perdu for two with a cup of hot chocolate. They’re both heavenly good, the Pain Perdu is seriously one of the best in town and comes with caramel sauce, while the hot chocolate is thick and creamy.

Many thanks to A. & S. for the recommendation!

Photo via Ayman Itani

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Le Gustav Hamra

By on August 23, 2011 in Reviews

If you happen to be passing by Hamra some time and feel like craving some sugar, make sure to drop by Le Gustav at Antoun Gemayel street. The place is very small and cozy, with 2 friendly chefs, Khaled and Noor, who never get bored of explaining to you how everything gets done in their kitchen and the ingredients they use.

Their menu has a wide variety of items and I personally recommend you try any of these three: Chocolate Pavè, Red Velvet cake with cream cheese, and Fleur-de-lis.

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Burger Nation Hamra

By on August 16, 2011 in Reviews

I finally got to try the burger joint everyone has been buzzing about for a while now, “Burger Nation” located at end of Hamra street.

The menu is very straight forwards and offers either their selections of burgers or do-it-yourself, and while explaining about the burgers you can’t but notice how much the waiters emphasize on the fact that their patty is made of grass-fed Angus beef that’s imported from Australia.

Farah and I shared two burgers, the Nation’s Pride and the Swiss & Mushroom both 4oz and medium well, and I have to admit the patty is among the best in town, I mean you can easily feel the difference between others and what Burger Nation offers.

However, the sauces and toppings definitely need an enhancement, at least for the Nation’s Pride. With that holy beef patty, I was expecting a much better taste. And don’t get me wrong here, I’m not saying it tasted bad, actually I’m planning to go there again to try their 6oz burgers, but I’m pretty sure BN can do better with the toppings.

Would I recommend you to go there? Yes, and do try their belgian fries.

 

 

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Sushi Lounge Hamra – Sushi on a budget

By on June 8, 2011 in Reviews

I was passing by Hamra a while ago an noticed a new place called Sushi Lounge right next to Banque du Liban offering take-away orders of 50 pieces for 50,000L.L. Being a kind of sushi junkie, I decided to try it out with a couple of friends.

The excessive use of crab sticks was a bit disappointing as well as the size of the salmon sashimi, but all in all it tasted fine. And although Oceanus Achrafieh ramains my favorite sushi place in Beirut, I recommend take-away orders from Sushi Lounge on those last few days of the month, when you start to watch your spendings!

Note that for dine-in, the price of the same order increases to 75,000L.L.

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Good fish and chips where you least expect it

By on May 21, 2011 in Reviews

It’s definitely not the best out there, but Sanyour Cafe in Sarba has a good fish and chips for 12,000L.L only.

I also liked their Osmaliyyeh Chicken (chicken strips covered with Osmaliyyeh pastry) which comes with sweet chili sauce I think, and the Pizza Tawouk with garlic sauce all over!

Sanyour has branches in Kaslik, Antelias, Sarba, and Dhour El Choueir. And needless to say, you’ll have to be able to tolerate the arguileh smokers all around you if you decided to go there.

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