After the opening and massive success of Amar, the Lebanese restaurant up the road to Harissa with a breathtaking view on the bay of Jounieh, comes "Amar 3al Baher" occupying a location on Antelias’ waterfront where Plein Sud gallery used to be. I made sure to write this review a week after my visit just to calm down my emotions; food, service, professionalism, and ambiance were way below my expectations.
In the era of Instagram and social media, spoons cannot destroy the chef's hard work in a second; they act fast, in a speedy manner lacking finesse and style. They throw the spoons inside all plates, run to fill your plates with salads, touring around your table like if it was a game. Anyway, probably few people care about social media, and the restaurant was full tonight.
Let’s eat:
- The makanek are extremely dry; they also have a Soujok flavor and strong unpleasant spices.
- Super dry, extremely chewy rass Asfour meat when this particular meat should be soft like butter.
- Garlic hummus needs life and lemon! It’s far from being a good hummus. Why the garlic anyway.
- Hummus with basil needs more hummus flavors.
- Low quality, oily and undercooked French fries.
- Hummus with meat comes with dry diced pieces on top mixed with a pesto sauce.
- Chewy calamari clearly frozen and fried.
- The fried chicken wings are served raw, yes literally raw on the inside.
- Thinly cut baked potatoes tasting like carton and served undercooked.
- Hard textured super dry liver.
- Oil filled tasteless shrimp fingers.
The tasty things:
- Tender and juicy grilled Halloumi cheese.
- The cheese triangles are the only good thing I’ll order again.
- Good quality fish, moist and well seasoned.
- Loved the fried and grilled fish.
Average desserts:
- Nutella halawat el Jeben.
- A raw -tahinov hats- bread, extremely salty topped with sweet ice cream.
- Ice cream and cotton candy is a Falamanki wannabe dessert.
Extremely deceiving, can’t say more!
