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Tuesday 19 March 2013

International Dining in Lebanon

The Favourite - The Chase

The Chase is a Beirut restaurant that has been around since I was a teenager and it seems to be still going strong.

The nice thing about The Chase is a selection of Plat du Jours.

Chicken over "Freekeh" with halloum sauce - how inventive.

Freekeh originated in 2300 BC when wheat in a village was burnt and the inhabitants rubbed the burnt wheat and found ripened grain.

A popular dessert in Beirut is Lazy Cake (some Europeans refer to it as Chocolate Salami).

A mixture of biscuits and chocolate pudding that is easy to make yet decadent. 




The Cosy - Le Gargotier

Le Gargotier is a cosy place in Broumana - a mountain town where I recall taking dates when I was in high school.

It is essentially a steak house with an intimate ambiance and decent food.

Steak de Paris had a buttery sauce with a flavour I could not identify.

 
The peas and carrots are popular accompaniment for meats and chicken in Lebanon. Probably out of a can, but tasty nonetheless.

Dessert was highly recommended by our server. An ice-cream, topped with cream, caramel sauce and nuts.

Yes, white and creamy (again), decadently tasty - thank you for the recommendation.











The Disappointment - Schnitzels

Tucked inside City Mall, this restaurant looked very German: decor, servers' outfits, beers and all.

And you readers know how I cannot resist anything German.

A huge selection of beer was very tempting. 

But our server told us a secret that, unfortunately, they only have 3 German beer (and an endless selection of Lebanese beer).

Obviously no pork Schnitzels in Lebanon, so the options were chicken or veal.

The meat thick, the crust is KFC style and the "German" potato salad was really a Lebanese one with parsley and lemon.



And of Course - Starbucks 

Just like anywhere else in the world, Starbucks is everywhere in Beirut.

The menu and people hanging out at it are the same as everywhere.





The difference though is coffee served in beautiful mugs and tips not allowed nor accepted.


But nothing beats coming back to eat at home.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

hey,
it is not true, they have 25kinds of german beer but they might be out of stock. i already tasted 10 of them.