I recently discovered Le Pecheur, a nice and humble Lebanese seafood, located on the seaside of Ain Mreiseh. I liked it and know that I will be coming back again when I am in the mood for good and affordable seafood dinner in the heart of the capital. Just a few meters before La Plage, facing Hotel Le Vendome, this restaurant has something special. 
I reached Le Pecheur and was welcomed by a smiling lady in a nice enthusiastic way. "Good morning sir, is this your first time at Le Pecheur? Please allow me to accompany you to your table. I hope that your experience will be perfect". WOW! I was impressed. It was the first time someone welcomes me this way to a restaurant. What a great first impression.
Le Pecheur is updating its interior which should be ready mid October. Enter the restaurant where you will find three aquariums filled with large size fish until you reach the main dining area. I liked the place. The beautifully decorated high ceiling, the well lit space and other details prepare you for the best.
Choose one of the three different sections: The inner winter space, the lower area over the water or the upper terrace. The waiters and head of sections are as welcoming as the hostess. Always smiling and attentive, they make sure you enjoy your time at their restaurant. What I liked, to start with, is how clear and elaborate the menu distributed to everyone at the table.
What was intriguing to me was the fact that for the first time I see a Pasta section offered at a Lebanese seafood restaurant. It felt bizarre at first but when I then realized that the four choices of pasta included sea food plates, the concept then makes sense.
The menu sections:
- Mezze
- Salades
- Fritures
- Pasta
- Viandes et grillades
- Boissons
- Hubble bubble
- Potatoes
- Poissons et crustacés
- Spécialités le pêcheur
- Boissons
Having dinner with my friends, they decided to order the formula ($35/person):
- Pickles "Kabiss" platter (Chilli pepper, beetroot, cucumbers, me2te, spicy mix)
- Hummus and Mtabbal (Baba ghannouj)
- Tabbouleh
- Rocket salad with pomegranate
- Bizri fish: Well seasoned, smooth and tasty and served in a toasted bread bowl
- French fries: Crunchy and hot
- Fried plate: Calamari, Spring rolls, Fish sticks, Shrimps). Those looked too oily like fried a second time
- Hendbe
- Crab salad: The usual synthetic crab sticks
- Batata harra, served in a closed container to maintain its strong garlic flavours and temperature
- Fried fish (mallifa, sultan brahim): These are tasty
- Grilled fish (Grouper) didn't impress me: It definitely needs more seasoning
Dessert: A small basket of fruits, Meghle, Custard and Chocolate custard were offered
The pluses:
- Sohat glass water bottle
- A super professional welcoming like none. Bravo!
- I enjoyed the seasoning of the fried bread offered with the fried fish. It is covered with salt and sumac making them really worth eating
- Every table has one waiter who stands waiting to serve your every demand
- Main plates are served on a wooden platter to stand out from the others
The minuses:
- Markouk bread should be offered
- Trying to impress guests by over decorating the plates makes them look complicated for nothing. I prefer simplicity
- Some of the preparations don't look too fresh
- The food is good but not great: But for only $35, tonight's dinner was better than I had expected
Many improvements must be made to elevate the level of this restaurant, but if this means that their prices will increase, then it's better to leave it the way it is. At least Le Pecheur stands out among restaurants in the same medium category.
