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Welcome to the village marketplace. Under the trees, relax to the sounds of chirping birds and Fayrouz tunes. Old Lebanese tiles, yellow sandstones, wooden doors and brick tiles with an open kitchen making it look like a food market. “Kahwet el Mandaloun” is your classy Lebanese restaurant where food is good, and the mood is enjoyable.
Spending Sunday with my little ones, we went for lunch at Al Mandaloun on the beach. Hummus, Mtabbal and every plate of the Lebanese table were part of the experience. Welcoming service and enjoyable, positive vibes await.
Before starting: for the love of God and social media stop throwing spoons everywhere! When will restaurant owners wake up to the social media era and start training their staff about Instagram and food photography? Why ask the chef to decorate the plate since a spoon is coming to spoil it. Hard working chefs take it as a challenge to present the best looking plates when a waiter only cares about throwing it on the table and sees “food” not art and pleasure. Please, enough!
A strongly lemony tabbouleh, acidic grapevine leaves, fluffy Kaak, soft potatoes... food is good, hummus and moutabbal are exceptional! Definitely one of the best hummus I’ve had! So creamy, balanced and really out of this world. The moutabbal is as good enchanted with flavors of home.
Freekeh: Take it from a fan of Freekeh, the plate is delicious! Well spiced, a tasty sauce but unfortunately the Freekeh bits are too small! If only the freekeh quality had been Lebanese, brought from south Lebanon, this plate would have tasted a million times better. Bigger in size and juicier in taste. Chef, please change your supplier.
Desserts: a superb Mouhallabiyah, biscuit au Chocolat, cocktail avocado with strawberries and a giant eclair I expected to be soft and not crunchy like commercial pastry shops do it.
Thank you Elio for your professionalism, you made of our lunch a memorable experience to remember.
