Tag Archives | choueifat

Raising Cane’s Now Open at The Spot Choueifat

I’m lately becoming a less fan of fried food but the minute I saw Raising Cane’s open at The Spot Choueifat last week I felt curious to try their chicken finger after hearing about it from a friend living in the US.

For those who are not familiar with the name, it is a fast growing restaurant chain in USA serving one single item, chicken fingers. Their menu is quite minimalist with only 3 meal options, 1 sandwich, and a kids combo.

I ordered their most popular options which is the Box Combo (13,250L.L) with the purpose of comparing it to KFC, and despite the limited offering, it didn’t really take a lot to notice how much better Raising Cane’s is.

I don’t really need to go all poetic about how tasty the chicken fingers are, but they’re really GOOD! Freshly fried, tender, juicy, and best of all they’re not oily so your fingers won’t feel sticky when you’re done. The cane’s sauce that comes along is pretty good as well, just make sure to order an additional sauce on the side because you will definitely be double dipping. I know I did.

As for the sides, the fries are just average but the texas toast is tremendous! Bread lovers will surely appreciate it. It is grilled after being lightly brushed with garlic butter, so beware if you’re allergic to garlic.

All in all, Raising Cane’s is definitely recommended if you’re into that kind of fast food. And with two more branches soon opening in Hamra and Zahle (as I was informed by their staff), KFC better be prepared for some good competition in the coming months.

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Simit Sarayi is Opening in Lebanon

I was at the Spot Choueifat last night when I noticed that Simit Sarayi is set to soon open there on the ground floor. I’m sure those who have been to Istanbul are familiar with the place, but for those who are not, Simit Sarayi is basically a chain of coffee shops / bakeries best known for their simit (circular bread similar to bagels encrusted with sesame seeds).

Wherever you go around Istanbul you are guaranteed to stumble upon one of its branches, so it is more like a Turkish version of Starbucks. Their prices are a bit higher than other places and street simit vendors though, but from my experience the service and the pastries freshness were always well worth it.

The only other place in Beirut that serves simit is a Turkish restaurant in Hamra called Mado but they never serve them fresh, so I hope Simit Sarayi commit to better quality standards.

On a side note I’m personally finding it a bit weird for F&B companies to launch some of their brands from the Spot Choueifat. The mall doesn’t have an ideal location and driving to it is not really a pleasant experience especially at night. Still, IHOP opened last week and now Simit Sarayi is expected to do so anytime soon…

Update:

A friend told me they are also opening soon at Citymall Dora.

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Driving In and Out of Beirut – Near Death Experiences Everyday

This video is ~7 minutes of pure horror to anybody into traffic management. A Lebanese YouTuber (Nash Suleiman) recorded his journey in and out of Beirut (from and to Choueifat as it shows) and documented the violations people and himself do everyday.

Just like everyone, I became accustomed to the chaotic driving in this country. But this video lets you observe things from a different perspective, and at one point as you watch you can’t but wonder how on earth do we reach our destination in one piece every time we get into a car… and this by the way made me think that this is one of the main reasons I am currently looking to move into an apartment within Beirut. I basically go daily through almost the same routes that show in the video and I am hating it by the day due to the recklessness of other drivers and the violations that I sometimes feel forced to make. I am sure those who commute to Beirut from other areas like the mountains or Jounieh and the areas beyond can also relate.

This video also incidentally proves that relying on the new traffic law alone to reduce road accidents is utter bullshit. As Nash mentioned at the end, safer roads is a responsibility that each and everyone of us has to bear.

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