Up on the first floor is Al Karaz, an international restaurant serving a large selection of dishes, of which I decided to try the Lebanese ones. A windy day obliged us to sit inside.
- Kebbe with labneh: On a triangular plate decorated with lettuce, five pieces of kebbe are topped with labneh from the village, a mint leaf and a quarter of a cherry tomato. Simple and tasty, the labneh adds a fine acidity to the kebbe that crumble gently under your teeth
- Shish barak salad: That's innovation. Six big pieces of shish barak (meat stuffed in baked bread bites) served on a bed of Romaine lettuce mixed with red bell pepper cubes and fried pine nuts all mixed with a laban dressing. I liked the freshness of the lettuce and the softness of the shish barak all in a salad that's light and fresh at the same time. It represents Lebanon in a bowl.
- Hummus with avocado: Two tender ingredients mixed together in a light-bodied plate. The avocado adds a certain finesse to the hummus neutralizing its sourness. I loved it.
- Salmon plate: Small portions of rolled salmon presented on frizé lettuce, a piece of lemon, caper and a rocket leaves. A beautiful presentation for a plate that's light, tasty and simple at the same time
- Hommous mtammam: That's mtammam not mtawam, so it doesn't contain garlic. Pickles, cucumbers, parsley and a hint of jalapeño. Wow. The texture and crunchy bits inside are very nice, each exploding with sourness while the jalapeños give a last note of spiciness.
- Cherry blossom plate: This signature dish is a must try. Three bites of puff pastry dough filled with goat cheese and raspberry bits mixed with walnuts and served with a cherry coulis on the side. Dip in and enjoy well-balanced flavors.
- Labneh mtammame: Al Karaz's premium labneh is mixed with black olives, cucumbers and green thyme. Just great and enjoyable
- Moutabal: At Cherry Blossom moutabal is done the old fashioned way, charcoal grilled like our ancestors used to do it. A strong flavor and aroma, a wonderful eggplant purée, that tickles your tongue gently. Tasty!
- Stuffed vine leaves: Yum! The stuffed vine leaves are really good. Lemony and strong in taste. A hard envelope containing the rich ingredients. A fine quality reflecting the village ambiance.
- I was simply amazed by the mouajanat plate. I can hear you say: "How hard is it anyway to make something as basic as the mouajanat?" Well, yes, they are complicated - since sometimes mouajanat can be oily, chewy and filled with low quality ingredients... as opposed to the ones I had that day, which were exceptional. A crunchy, oil-free dough filled with premium white cheese stuffed to perfection, an exquisite sambousik that melts like butter, and an envelope that crunches in style. The kebbe again, with a little hummus and the Fatayer... Ouf! I'm not sure if I'll be exaggerating if I say that they are better than Ghattas.
- Tabboule and fattouche: Both were fresh, good and felt natural
- Grilled chicken breast: A subtle grilled taste, a purée and grilled veggies, but the best part was the cherry sauce. I'd already tasted the cherry ketchup and I loved it and now some hot sauce, lightly sweet with crunchy bits that had the texture of a compote but the taste of a premium meat coulis. I loved its finesse and equilibrated ingredients. Bravo chef.
- Cherry burgers: In three small bites, these burgers were my least favorite. The bread was dry and hard and the meat tasted like kafta. Although the sauce was little, it was tasty along side some cherry ketchup. I was expecting something superb. The recipe needs fine-tuning.
- Food is tasty, innovative and generous
- The place is dull and unappetizing
- The table supports are huge. Expect to bang your legs constantly
- The ambiance is cold, like the hotel
- The staff needs a lot of training