CHECK OTHER REVIEWS FOR THIS PLACE:
Two reviews in less than a week! You must think I am crazy or something. I just had to, so much to try and taste. Last Sunday when I visited Helado, it was so busy that I couldn't really talk with the owners, take down some notes or taste calmly. I went back hoping it was less busy, but it turns out that Helado is making big noise in the country.
It was 6pm, I entered and stood aside looking, listening and taking notes until I decided to approach the counter thirty minutes after.
It was a Saturday afternoon and Helado was packed with cold-craving customers waiting in line to enjoy a cup or biscuit filled with these tasty ice cream or maybe this magical potion that's turning everyone crazy. Maroun and Pierre Saliba, happy and proud owners, welcome every guest like if he was alone. A smile on their faces and full enthusiasm, they make sure everyone leaves happy.
Everyone who comes in knows exactly what they want...They are regular and keep coming back from more.
Good to know:
- Helado makes all their ice cream in-house. Copied from none, they use their intense knowhow, along with passion and love to make unique gelato
- Helado has one of the finest lemonade ever but make it a point to come in the morning to find some. Quantities don't last past noon time
- Flavors are endless and changeable on a weekly basis. I think you'll have to come once a week to try something different
- Alcohol flavors are only served on Sundays: Whisky was flavor served last week, wine was this week and others will be created while ideas last
- A green chalk board displays the prices of the ice cream that covers three large freezers, one of which contains ready-made boxes. LBP16,000/kilo, LBP4,500 for the chocolat mou, LBP3000 for the lemonade...
Is it an oriental ice cream, or maybe more of an Italian gelato? Helado is different cause it combines both in every scoop.
Some of the flavors that were available today or will be this summer:
- Debs
- Oreo
- Blackberry
- Biscuit and raha
- Cheese cake
- All kinds of fruits
- Bubble gum
- Mint chocolat
- Biscolata
- Dark chocolate
- Milk chocolate
- Amareddine with Zbib
- Pistachio
- Almonds
- Ricotta cheese with corn flakes
- Sobeir
- Passion fruit
- Banana and strawberry
- Ashta
- Vanilla
- Milk with mistki
- Figs
- Lotus biscuit
Let's eat some ice cream:
- I asked for a cup of chocolate, that's biscolata (biscuit with chocolate) and dark chocolate. The experience starts with the smell, a rich smell of chocolate before enjoying the mix. A condensed ball of chocolate that's adequately sweet. An ice cream for all tastes and all ages. This is a connoisseur's item. The biscolata, less condensed, is a mix of crunchy bits of biscuit and chocolate bathing in some tender chocolate.
- I wasn't leaving with just some chocolate, I had to enjoy more. So I asked for a fruits cup. Topping that, is apricot with dried raisins or better called "amareddine ma3 zbib asswad"; Close your eyes and enjoy this condensed apricot flavor while the dried raisins escape from a side to the other jumping around your teeth in joy. Impressive to say the least. Under it was lemon, pure intense lemon. Ouf! It made me shiver from joy; Its lightness and pure white color... Mango, like eating a fresh fruit from the tree and to end up this luxurious experience of a thousand flavors was the blackberry. I think that I'm out of words to describe them. Not a single flavor had a negative thing to say.
- Not only that, I was given Debs el Kharroub and cheese cake to leave in peace, two flavors that left a smile on my face the whole weekend.
I asked for 2 kilos and went back home, satisfied that I have enough ice cream for the week end.
Helado, remember the name, this is the 'ice cream' to try before summer ends... Yes, it is that good.
The address: Haret Sakher, Take a right before Crepaway Jounieh up to Super Shtroumf and Al Balad. Continue a 200 meters to Haret Sakher keeping a right. An electricity pole shows the place's location which is up a tight passage to a colored individual house. Those are the coordinates on Google Maps if it helps: (33.995790, 35.647458)
