Villa Clara (Beirut, Lebanon)

 This restaurant is actually one of  my favorites. Even though the place is quite big, elegant and refined, the atmosphere is so charming and warm. The owners are so chill and relaxed, so far from being pretentious which made me love the place even more ! The french Chef is the owner, he has worked in one of the best restaurants in Paris. He is very experienced but he doesn't try to show off with his dishes. For entrees we had the escargot which was delicious, even better than the ones i have had in Paris and the tartare lieu jaune , was super refreshing and perfectly seasoned. As for main we had the cassoulet which is originally a traditional french dish that i only tried once in Paris and it was as good here. The steak was cooked perfectly, but not the best i have had. As for desserts we tried the famous meringue, it was not my favorite, too big but hey this is my personal opinion,  still recommend to try it. We actually had a very nice conversation with the owners and as far as i understood , they always try to use fresh local ingredients which is why they always change their menu. It is a somewhat a new concept in Lebanon and a change from what we are all used to. I have heard that they serve really good steak tartare and the chef actually prepares it in front of you, would definitely try it next time. The prices are good, not as expensive as everyone is saying. I definitely recommend this restaurant, super romantic and cosy especially the tables next to the chimney.

Prune (Beirut, Lebanon)

This place has been the buzz of Beirut for the past few months, always super packed and couldn't get any reservation. I was really eager to try it, so finally i went there and it was SUPER disappointing. To be fair, maybe i felt that because people have been talking about how amazing it was for quite a while so i expected the best. It is a nice charming french bistrot, lovely decoration. The menu was typically french. I had the oeuf cocotte with truffle cream, really less than average, the moules were ok, as for the steak, it was chewy, not seasoned well, just all in all very blah. But i have to admit the only thing that uplifted this dinner was the pain perdue, oh my just delicious, moist, tender yet crunchy drizzled with caramel. The service was very slow, the waiters were inattentive. I have been there only once so maybe it was a bad experience for me, would try it again though.

La Centrale (Beirut, Lebanon)

 La Centrale is actually one of my favorite places to have a casual drink there with my friends and a small bite. The bar has an amazing concept of opening to Beirut's night air. Until recently, i have tried the restaurant downstairs and i have to say it was simply delicious. Centrale’s cuisine is more into the french cuisine. Let me start by their starters, the goat cheese salad layered with a thin crunchy puff pastry, drizzled with honey and topped with toasted pine nuts, just delicious. My favorite was the gewy poached egg with creamy cepes sauce, really words can't describe the deliciousness of this plate ( i would kill for it.. ). I also tried the artichoke salad which was ok, nothing out of this world. As for the main, my advice for you is to have the brochette de boeuf with fries and bearnaise sauce ( they don't have it on the menu but only regular customers know about it). I also tried the truffle risotto, eiiinh it was more pretty to look at than eat, very blah, the seasoning was missing. Their service is impeccable. As for the prices, well you get what you pay for.

Magnolia Bakery Lebanon

Magnolia Bakery has originally opened its doors in Lebanon since December 2012.  They already have two stores located in ABC dbayeh and ashrafieh. Honestly i was not a huge fan of the American bakery, i am more into the french. I have to say that this place changed my whole perception of the huge fatty full of sugar american sweets. Let me start by the BANANA PUDDING, oh my ..
Simply foodgasmic. It has this perfectly sweet vanilla smooth custard texture with drops of banana pieces that literally melts in your mouth, and these wafers that are just a pleasant surprise that makes it all a party in your mouth. I also love their lemon squares, key lime cheesecake and humming bird cupcakes, just exquisite. What's also surprising is that they have a savory menu. My favorites are the tomato soup, it has this perfectly balanced flavors with the basil and a dash of lemon, the open faced Florentine eggs ( the eggs are perfectly cooked, runny just the way i like them) the chicken ceasar salad and pecan goat cheese, just yum !

Toto

Toto is an italian restaurant located in Mar Mkhael, Beirut. It has actually replaced the french restaurant Chez Sophie which was an epic fail (my personal opinion), and Halleluja for this smart move by the same owners. It has become one of the trendiest restaurants in Beirut . I loved the place and atmosphere, it is spacious but cozy at the same time. The food is really good . My only complain was the tiny portion they serve. I mean i always say that it is all about the quality and quantity but common this is an italian restaurant ! I don't want to see 2 pcs of ravioli on my plate !
So i have been there a few times and i can fully recommend as starters the carpaccio de bar, and vitello tonnato , just yummy in my tummy ! the veal is sliced very thinly and it really melts in your mouth with this mouthwatering salty capery tuna sauce. As for the main dish my ultimate favorite is the capellini with asperegus and white truffle oil. As for desserts, honestly nothing was super tempting, i had the crispy millefeuille with pistachio but found it a bit dry and dull. The service is perfect, and you can say that the price average per person would add up to 40 to 50 $ per person.

Goutons voir

Since its opening Goutons voir has been one of my favorite restaurants in Lebanon. It's your next door bistrot, small and cozy , with a perfect setting. As for the menu it's kind of basic but everything there is just delicious. I recommend you to start with the goat cheese tart, just a creamy goat cheese layered on top of a crispy buttery puff pastry and topped with dried tomaotes. As for the main course, their angus beef is so tender and juicy it just melts in your mouth, and you can have as sides the mashed potatoes wth truffle oil or fries with truffle oil and parmesan cheese..just yuumm ! They also have really good chicken mushroom, risotto with truffle oil and foie gras, and their specials are always a must try. As for desserts, they only have three options but just get them all, it's worth it ! they have really good pain perdue, macaron filled with mascarpone and strawberries, and finally the gewy melted chocolate fondant. The service is very friendly and prompt. As for their prices, you can say it can add up to 50 $ per person with wine, which is acceptable especially that you are getting a really good meal and service.

 

 

 

kampai

My favorite sushi place was actually sushi bar until kampai made its appearances. I just love that restaurant! It is simply elegant and bright. Their food is so fresh. You have to try their spicy crispy tuna that just melts in your mouth with little bits of crunch, the rocky shrimps that are just a party in your mouth , smothered in their special mayo sauce. As for the sushi part everything is highly recommended but my favorites are definitely the ones with jalapenos and the fried scallops rolls that are topped with the glazed salmon..simply foodgasmic. Now my favorite part here is actually the dessert. They serve a special japanese dessert called the mochi, these are just the greatest invention ever ! Different flavors of ice cream wrapped with pate de riz. Believe me they are much tastier than their description. You have all kinds of flavors but my favorites are the ones with rose, melon and chocolate/vanilla. The service is really good, the waiters are nice and very attentive even when its packed ( which is most of the times ). The prices are very reasonable because you are definitely getting what you are paying for which is ultimate quality ! Kampai is located in Minet el Hosn, Ground floor, Palladium Bldg, Rafic Salloum Str.

The happy prince

I have been so busy the past few weeks since i got from Paris that i still haven't had the chance to write posts about all those delicious restaurants i have been to . I am going to try to write at least two posts per week because i have a looot to share. Just a small reminder that this is not a typical food blog, it is simply my food diary that i am sharing with all of the food lovers out there..
So im going to start by The Happy prince, i have been hearing about it even before setting foot in Lebanon , so i was really excited to try it and their famous burger.  The Happy prince is located in the lively gemmayze/marmkhael street, surrounded by cool bars and restaurants. I loved the place, it was just so charming and cosy, perfect for what it is. As for the food, my my my, i have to admit it is one of the best burgers i have ever had. The meat was so juicy, perfeclty cooked ( eventhough some of the people complained that they only cooked their meat medium rare to medium it didn't bother because that is the only way i would eat it). They also have the cheese steak sandwich and fresh corn salad that are just yummy. Anything else was a bit blah, nothing worth mentioning honestly. I highly recommend this place if you are craving a burger but keep in mind it is always better to go early because they might run out of burgers ( happened very often with me) . The prices are very reasonable and affordable.

Mariage Frere (Paris, le marais)

Mariage Frere is originally a tea house that presents a tea-tasting salon allowing you to appreciate the most refined and precious tea.The waiters are actually trained as sommeliers. They learn the french art of tea and they describe a particular tea, its flavors and to which dish or dessert it can best team up. What i loved about this place is that even if you are not a tea fan it definitely pushes you to try some exquisite tea flavor which they can also serve iced! Some of the dishes or desserts are actually cooked/baked with tea and it can mingle inside a dish just like any ingredient, spices or flavour. We ordered the menus only served at lunch, it includes juice, brioche toasts served with tea jelly (btw Tlicious!), brunch platter, your choice of pastry with their special teas. We had the organic smoked salmon loin, genmaiche green tea oil, red current, lemony yoghurt cream, pickles and matcha green tea toast; the scrambled eggs seasoned with Sel matcha, grilled shrimp skewer and smoked salmon rolls and the chicken supreme, smoky black tea glaze, shaved parmesan, green apple and croutons. The dishes looked gorgeous, the presentation was just so elegant and refined but i found the plates too pretty to be eaten and the chicken dish was a bit dry. If you ever go there i personally advise you to get the simple but delicious scrambled eggs. Now that's my favorite part: Desserts. I can honestly say it was just SUGASMIC! one of the best desserts i have ever had ! The creme brulee tart with fraise de bois was my favorite, pure deliciousness, with every bite you get a bit of crunchiness from the caramelised sugar, fluffiness and creaminess from the cream and just a hint of tang from the fraise des bois. The berry green tea crumble was also really good, but i was pleasently surprised by the chocolate tart because it had a hint of lemon confit which was new for me because usually when you think of chocolate, you combine it with caramel, praline, orange, strawberry..but usually never lemon which is a shame because they work really well together.

All in all, very pleasant experience :)

 

 

Maison de la truffe (Paris)

Maison de la truffe is definitely worth trying if you are a truffle lover. The chefs trained under the expertise of Alain Ducasse and Bernard Loiseau, create a thousand ways to prepare truffles in creative recipes. What's amazing about this restaurant is that all of the dishes could be prepared with or without truffles; and you can actually choose between seasonal or black truffle . For entree i had the king crab salad with mousse d'avocats and milk almond jelly, it was a light and refreshing salad and i loved the combination of the crab with the lightly sweet milk almond jelly. You can also share for entree the plate with little bites of the tarama truffe, emiette de tourteau, saumon fumee et ses oeufs. As for the main course we had the risotto with scampi and truffles and tagliatelles with foie gras, truffles and truffled cream. Both dishes were really good and they were very generous with the amount of truffles used.

 

Biba makes: Sugar work

I am ashamed to say it has been almost 4 months since my last post. Just to recap, i am a cordon bleu student and i got my  pastry diploma almost 2 months ago. I just finished my internship at my dream place: La patisserie des reves. It's unfortunate to say that within 2 months of work at La patisserie des reves i learned so much more than i did after 9 months of Cordon Bleu. Im not saying its not a good school, because you do have amazing chefs like Chef Deguignet or Chef Nicolas Jordan but i have to say it is quite commercial. And of course, it is all about pratique( hands on ) especially when it comes to pastry or cuisine. I really wish i had more time at that place. My advise to anyone who is looking to do a pastry program, check ENSP or Ferrandi or you have very good, local french schools where you can just do the CAP.
I have been to so many restaurants the past few months and i have a lot to catch on.

 Let me start by my final exam at Le Cordon Bleu where we had to make a sugar sculpture with your own design, colors, theme.. but it should include flowers and ribbons.. I have to say sugar work is by far my favorite ! I only had the chance to work with pulled and poured sugar a couple of times but it is so challenging and interesting and i love it. Even when i work 6 hours straight, sweating and of course burning my hands, it still makes me eager to go back, try to do better. You have to be very meticulous with sugar work especially with the cooking of the sugar.
Here are some points that you should always keep in mind for sugar work ( for the beginners of course, since i am one ):

• use really clean equipment
• use clean and pure sugar
• start cooking cold water with the sugar, once it starts boiling, you always should clean the edges with a wet brush and then remove all the impurities of the sugar ( otherwise your sugar wont be shiny ) and add the glucose.Let it cook until 165 degrees C and then add the tartrique.
• Don't cook small quantities of sugar otherwise it would cook too fast and become dry (minimum 1 kg of sugar)
• If you want to use one color ( i think it is nicer ) then you can add the color at 140 degrees C ( the colors are of course alcohol based not water ) or if you want to mix colors then you add them at 160 degrees C
• If you want to pour your sugar in molds, it is better to wait until it thickens a bit and it is not bubbly and then you should touch the edges from the outside with your fingertips and feel that the temperature is neither too hot or too cold, otherwise  it would be very difficult to demold them.
• As for the pulled sugar, once you pour the sugar on the silpat you should as soon as possible bring the sides of the sugar towards the center to form it into one mass. Keep on turning a it and fold it to let it cool down. When the ball doesnt deform anymore stretch the sugar and defold it into itself. The more it is stretched the brighter the color. Once it is shiny place it under the lamp.

Here is my third and final sugar sculpture, still needs lots of work but was definitely proud of my big rose.

Street food market in Lyon

If you're ever in Lyon, you need to visit their street food market on Sundays. I am not sure where but you can just ask.. It really has the best lyonnais produce. You can find all kind of excellent quality cheeses, fish, vegetables, breads and sweets at the best and cheapest prices. You have to taste the pralines lyonnaises that is just so delicious, sugary and crunchy and you can find it in almost every pastry shop in Lyon since it is their speciality.

biba makes: Sphere au chocolat

This week we started working with chocolate in Le Cordon Bleu. I have been dreading this because i know that tempering the chocolate is not easy. You have to be very precise and delicate. To temper your chocolate you need to melt the chocolate to 45 degrees C if it was dark chocolate, then you need to lower the temperature to 28/27 degrees C and reheat it up to max 32 degrees C. There are various ways of tempering your chocolate, you can either heat it up by bain marie and some chefs actually do it by microwave although i really don't recommend this, lower your temperature by stirring it over some ice, doing the tablage .. If your chocolate is well tempered then it must be glossy, smooth, silky, doesn't melt in your hands and it actually snaps when you break it. We did a chocolate sphere, filled with mi-cuit chocolat, crispy pralines, creamy mango and passion fruit, creamy chocolate and some crumble on top.
And if you wanna be a bit creative you can actually use some transfer sheets with colored cocoa butter. All you have to do is spread some tempered chocolate over the sheet, and while its still like a paste and make circles, triangles whatever shape you prefer and put it in the fridge for a couple of minutes to let it cool down.

and these are some of the chef Nicola Jordan work:

Biba eats : Le potager des halles ( rue de la martiniere, 69001, Lyon )

This weekend,  i decided to visit my friend in Lyon, who is also a foodie and is doing her master in Institut Paul Bocus. So i trust her judgement in restaurants blindly and she took us to a really cute, charming brasserie. The staff was very friendly and welcoming, although the restaurant was full, they still managed to seat us after 5 min of waiting. And don't let me start with the food.. everything was simply delicious. There is nothing fancy shmancy about this place, just really good food, a very nice and warm atmosphere. We shared the nachos, terrine de foie gras, cheesy sandwich with truffles, burger, some green beans, rillette de thon, some kind of curry carrot soup and finished it off with delicious gewy fondant au chocolat and vacherin (meringue, creme chantilly and strawberries) . With all this delicious feast, 2 bottles of wine and one bottle of champagne, the price average per person varies btw 35 and 40 euros ( we were only 3!! ).

Biba eats: Ferdi (32 rue du mont thabor 75001, Paris)

Red velvet chairs, old family photos, children's toys and paper masks: a setting dedicated to happy memories for a warm and cheerful atmosphere. The menu includes tapas revisited for all desires, and strong Spanish dominant Latino. However, other foods from around the world are available .For me the winner of this place is the gewy mc and cheese! Ferdi is also famous for its burgers,  their delicious ! And the best way to end this meal is by having their crunchy, soft in the middle churros dipped in nutella :) This is exactly the place for foodies who like to take the time to live. Whenever you feel like having real delicious comfort food, Ferdi is the place to go but you need to reserve otherwise you won't find places. It is a tiny place always packed! The price average per person varies between 35 and 40 euros.

Biba eats: Liza (14, rue de la banque, 75002 Paris)

i have been living in Paris for a while now, and as much i love all kinds of food, lebanese food will always be my number 1 ! Unfortunately  most (and by most i mean 98%)  of the lebanese restaurants here are very disappointing. Finally i have found the best one in paris and really close to the ones we have in Lebanon, Liza. Everything from the hommos, tabboule, baba ghannouj, machewe, kebbe .. was just delicious and satisfying! but the winner of this dinner must be the grilled halloumi with the tomato jam, it was foodgasmic ! So i have to dedicate this post to my friend mika for introducing us to Liza :)
They also have different menus for groups, and apparently a delicious brunch on sundays with manakish and many other lebanese goodies that i can't wait to try .

Biba eats: Les vapeurs (Deauville, France)

We decided to visit Deauville located in Northwestern France. It's a beautiful region and the closest seaside resort when coming from Paris. I tried to research the best restaurants in deauville and came up with this list from many sources :" Le ciro's" which is apparently the best of the best in deauville and the most expensive but worth it restaurant, " Les affiches ",  "L'etrier"," L'essentiel" .. Unfortunately we got there late, at 3ish so the only restaurants that still serves lunch at this time were the ones located on the quai. We decided to try Les vapeurs, it is an authentic restaurant and  have been open since 1927. i enjoyed the food just for the fact that i was enjoying my time there but it was nothing special honestly. We had the moule mariniere, the Saint-Pierre fish and a sea food plate for 1, we were three people and believe me you don't need more than this. It is huge, filled with crab, langoustine, shrimps, mussels, oysters, whelks ( which are a kind of the snails of the sea, my first and not bad). The price average varies between 45 and 60 euros per person.

BIba makes : Homemade pasta, bruschetta and tiramisu :)

I booked online a cooking class given by the Food and Wine Academy. It's a 6 hours program that starts with product tastings at the Central Market, buying the ingredients and then going to a full equipped kitchen and learn how to cook some real tuscan dishes by a famous local chef. It's 79 euros per person and worth every cent ! First of all, at the central market, you get to taste all kinds of extra virgin olive oil. Also, real balsamic vinegar, aged in barrels for about 10 or 15 and even 30 years and what's shocking is that the usual balsamic vinegar that we have in our houses, everyday with our salads is nothing like the real tuscan one ! We also got to taste different kinds of cheeses, dipped with different jams, some truffle honey (delicious) and some truffle oil. We got the ingredients that we needed and then headed to the kitchen to start the cooking! We started by making the tiramisu because it takes time to set in the fridge, then we made our own pasta, with no machines, just ur hands and the roller pin, it was too kind of pastas, tagliatelle with bolognese sauce and ravioli filled with ricotta, parmesan cheese with butter and green sage sauce. It was surprisingly easy to make and delicious to eat ! Of course everything was first demonstrated by the chef, and he assists you all the way. At the end we get to sit all of us on a big table, enjoy our food with a glass of wine and we even get a certificate :)