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Sunday, May 8, 2016

A taste of Lebanese cuisine at Beiruti Bite

When I saw this relatively new (less than a year-old?) restaurant on Facebook, it stirred such excitement in my foodie heart, making me want to be there at once and wished I could "teleport". Hehe... I was then at the height of my Middle Eastern/Mediterranean cuisine journey, and ate shawarma or falafel, 
or kebab at every chance I had. 
Beiruti Bite, offering Lebanese/Mediterranean cuisine and with simple, cheery ambiance, couldn't be a better place to go. It was accessible, affordable, exciting! Just looking at the food pictures on social media made me hungry! Thankfully, it didn't take so long before I was able to haul off myself and my office food buddy to Timog Ave. in Quezon City for our afternoon break one weekday.


At Beiruti Bite, we were introduced to Lebanese Chef Elly Kasser, who was very friendly he even let us watch him cook our orders and have a picture taken with him. Minutes later, our orders were served. Our eyes feasted on the bevy of colors 
right there on our plates!

Beef Shawarma with rice, P180.
I opted for this heavy fare because I hadn't had lunch at 3 p.m. And this shawarma was so different from the all the others that I've had before. I knew it even before I tasted it, just by looking and smelling the aroma. Notice that the chunks of beef are of beautiful burgundy color. And the aroma was very strong and distinct! The taste? Different, too, from that of the usual shawarma I eat, moreso when I mix in some tahini sauce. The beef is a bit sweet and the texture (and not to mention the color) reminded me of chunky corned beef. I guess this is how Lebanese shawarma really is. It's delicious in its own way. I loved, too, that it's accompanied with lots of veggies that made my lunch 
not just colorful but healthy, too.

                      Tahini and garlic sauce served with shawarma rice                                            Tahini is a sauce traditionally used in Middle Eastern cuisine and made out of tahini paste, garlic, lemon juice and water.

Jebneh, P60.
Jebneh is Lebanese cheese pie. The taste makes you think you're eating soft-dough pizza. My friend ordered this and she loved it.  She let me taste it and I, a certified cheese-lover, found it very tasty! It would be perfect to have if you want a light snack to have with coffee.

Beiruti Bite Champagne, P120.
This was my friend's drink which she raved about. I tasted it, too and swore by its delicious fruity punch! Don't be fooled by its name because it's non--alcoholic and my friend was able to go back to work afterwards. Haha! This was so refreshing and healthy, too! Those chunks of apple and peach were delicious and fun to eat in between sips. 
Turkish Coffee, P50.
I loved that this was very much like "normal" coffee, only a bit too strong so I asked for some hot water to dilute it. Coffee in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries is made and served in small metal (usually copper) pots called "ibrik" or cezve".





Menu




  Inside Beiruti Bite







Lebanese food, soda and beer on display and maybe for sale (I forgot to ask!)

Beiruti Bite is at ITC Bldg., Panay Ave. corner Timog Ave., Quezon City

It was one exciting foodie adventure we had at Beiruti Bite as we took in 
both food and culture. I hope to be back soon to try the other Lebanese/Mediterranean dishes they offer. Hope to meet you there, folks, one of these days. 
Happy eating!