Back At Mounir

A visit to Mounir is a must on every Lebanon trip (Read Feasting at Mounir).

The place continues to offer exceptional quality of food, service and ambiance (and according to my parents this has been going on for 38 years).

What's on the menu today? The same as usual but one can never bore of such food.

Below is a visual tour of the meal. Enjoy and join me on the next visit.

Mounir Restaurant

Brummana, Lebanon

www.mounirs.com

Local green peas - I think I ate the full plate given how fresh and juicy those were

Lebanese olives of all colours, went well with pieces of lemon and with labneh

 

The Kebbeh Nayeh (raw Kebbeh) is a must on every Mounir visit (this is the only place my parents allow me to eat it)

The Makanek (Armenian style small sausages) were amazing this time

Grilled chicken exceptional; though not as good as my dad's (see the white cream in the front of the picture? this is all pure pureed garlic and olive oil)

And why mess up the house with the smell of fried fish, according to mom, when you can pick up fresh fish here and have them fry for you

A Mounir meal always ends up with a spread of fresh fruit, on the house! (the local cherries are early this year, but very good nonetheless)

Looking forward to the next visit, even though the Fall weather may not allow such a fabulous eating ambiance

 

A Coffee Tray

It is disrespectful to visit someone in Lebanon without being offered Turkish (a.k.a Arabic or Greek) coffee.

The coffee making kettle is on every stove.

They come in every colour, size and design - for making 1 to 12 cups of coffee.

Making Turkish coffee is an art (to make sure it does not turn into a messy production if you are not careful).

You can make it without, with a little or with a lot of sugar. Some even add cardamom to it.

Serving Turkish coffee is even more complex than making it.

The selection of coffee cups are endless. You can buy them with or without handles, in different sizes, colours, quality of glass, and on and on.

Then there is the choice of the tray to put the cups on it with the kettle and serve it.

The following are a selection of Turkish coffee trays to give you a sense of the art of coffee serving.

A sample of an average cute coffee tray for two.

This is how the no-handle cups look like; and of course cigarettes are a must with a cup of Turkish coffee.

Those cups became trendy few years ago. Each of them has written on it "with sugar" or "without". If you have different visitors who like it different ways, you can serve the tray with a mix of sweet and not sweet coffee cups and know which one is which.

Coffee trays can be extremely fancy - those are reserved to serving special people like the town's priest or the Minster of this or that or serving coffee on special occasions.

Or they can be simple and plastic, like the ones I had at a corner store after shopping.

Sometimes the coffee may turn from Turkish to Instant, but the ritual of a coffee tray remains the same.

Now what to serve with a coffee tray is a completely different story. But that is for another trip.

 

Sunday Grilling

A ritual on the Lebanon trips is dad's grilling. This is how a typical grill looks like (using wood coal).

This trip's dad's grill was meat and tomato kabbabs. 

And for the fun of it, here are some other Lebanon trip's grilling. Enjoy.

 

A Night in Brummana

Memories of high school days came back when roaming Brummana at night.

While none of the hangouts were there during high school days, the buzz and the types of hops are very much the same.

The choice was Crepaway. 

A fun diner - comfortable, friendly service, clean and a vast selection of food items.

House made lemonade kicked off the night with a selection of munchies instead of dinner.

The nachos plate was very nicely done with generous amounts of cheese, fresh tomatoes and the peppers of course.

A plate of burger tasters was a treat. The beef good, the burger well done and the bun crunchy.

You cannot skip the crepe.

The Jeanne was alright - ham, mushrooms, and cheese.

But the Martine, with melting chocolate spread, bananas and walnuts is to die for.

Crepaway

Brummana, Lebanon

www.crepaway.com

Among Saints

There are many saints in Lebanon. Every other person can tell an account of a miracle or someone cured; thanks to a saint.

Three of those saints, all Maronites, have been canonized by the Roman Catholic church as saints.

There is Mar Sharbel (one in the middle), Mar Nea'malla (the dark bearded one) and Kideesa Refqua (the woman).

And each of them is buried in some of the most beautiful parts of the Lebanese mountains.

This year is the 100th year since the death of Kideesa Refqua so her holy grave is a destination.

Supposedly, if you visit her grave this year, not only you will be blessed, but all your sins will be forgiven.

Overseeing the sea, in the most serene part of the country, is where she is buried. There is a church, a museum and her tomb.

Also, you get a bit of her tomb's soil, which is considered miraculous.

Now you are wondering what do saints have to do with food on a food blog. In reality, nothing. 

However, at the museum I found this original Kebbeh stone mortar with the wooden meat pounder.

Even when I was a kid, I remember family members making Kebbeh this way. You put the meat, bulger wheat, onions and spices in this and you pound it, for hours sometimes, until it is fully smooth.

Just imagine the texture and taste of those old fashioned Kebbeh. (Those are my mom's Kebbeh and Baba Ghanouj)

Hope this was a blessed visit. Any true believers in need of a miracle, happy to share some of Kideesa Refqua's soil.

 

Sahriyeh

Last trip I wrote about Soubhieh (Read HERE). In short, Soubhieh is a morning gathering over coffee. Sahriyeh, on the other hand, is an evening gathering over drinks and food.

A Sahriyeh can be at home or out of home. 

This Sahriyeh was at a beautiful home surrounded by beautiful art.

It was simple, spontaneous with great company.

This Sahriyeh had wine, nuts, fool akhdar.

Then a selection of cheese sandwiches followed.

For sweets a sweet juicy 'Bateekha' (water melon) showed up on the table.

The Sahriyeh ended with a 'Baklawah' platter.

The word Baklawah in Lebanon refers to the actual Baklawah pieces (those are the light cream coloured pieces).

Each of the other pieces have their own individual names. 

However, collectively, they are also called Baklawah.

And those were sure excellent Baklawah.

Thank you HaN for a lovely Sahriyeh.

On A Block In Beirut

Starting from a very interesting office building in Beirut, a few blocks walk brings very interesting views.

Below are some of those views. I have to admit the best views are those of the people.

Hanging out at Roadster Diner (Read Roaming And Eating in Beirut) is a perfect window for people watching.

In Beirut, people watching takes a completely different twist given the variety of people you see. Rich, poor, old, young, veiled, almost naked - all are there. 

Here's a taster for you.

Murals are popping up everywhere. I am going to restrain from making any comments given my lack of understanding of the mural sub-culture in Beirut, but those are a couple of samples.

Suddenly, on a small side street, I came across a very tiny (four tables) market. There was honey, local pickles and vinegar, local wine, vegetables and education program on slow food.

On the other hand, you can cross the street into a mini mall within the entrance of an office building and find the other extreme of a what you find in the tiny market.

Finally, looking up at the fancy residential buildings, you can see how the rich and not so famous Beirutians live - which would you choose, a clear outdoor living room or rooftop garden?

Now if only the army would have allowed me to take pictures of them....