Lebanese fine dining: a celebration of life's best
contributor: angie chong     occupation: student, dreamer     I.M....content

The Middle East first captured my imagination when I was 11 years old and reading ‘The Horse and His Boy’ (Book 3, The Chronicles of Narnia). Granted, the exotic land of Carlomen was fictional, but its descriptions bore much resemblance to the distant land called the Middle East. Studying world history in school only further piqued my curiosity about this foreign land where all civilization is said to have originated from. I knew very little about the Middle East, but the little I knew was enough to conjure up lively images of belly dancers and bread baked over large ovens and colourful costumes and traders on camels and snake charmers.




It made sense then, that when I was given a pick of any restaurant to dine in for my birthday, that I picked a restaurant with an ambience and food that I have never experienced before – Al-Amar, Pavilion, which serves fine Lebanese cuisine right in the heart of KL. Employing two full-time Lebanese chefs, Mohamed and Pierre, and importing 50% of its ingredients from Lebanon, Al-Amar can truly boast authentic cuisine. The earliest evidence of civilization in Lebanon dates back more than 7,000 years! ‘Al-Amar’ essentially means ‘The Moon’, and in Lebanese culture, the moon has always been an object of special veneration.

Upon entering the restaurant, it was as if I’d been instantly whisked to a foreign land. Mysterious, intriguing strains of flute-music played in the background as I stepped into an exquisitely adorned hall complete with decorative fixtures all the way from Lebanon and custom-made hanging chandeliers from Morocco.

With no clue what to order, we asked for recommendations. We began our meal with a combination of hot and cold mezze, or a selection of appetizers or small dishes often served with alcohol (similar to the tapas of Spain). Along with our meal, we had Kefraya white wine (the restaurant is one of the few Middle Eastern restaurants to serve Lebanese wine), an
award-winning wine lauded both in Lebanon and the world over (RM28/glass; RM150/bottle).
Soft, smooth and pleasant, the Kefraya is indeed an elegant wine.

For the cold mezze, we had the Hommos (RM16) and Moutabal (RM16), or mashed chickpeas and
mashed grilled eggplant dip respectively. The dips are made from the mashed vegetables mixed with tahina sauce (made from sesame seeds) and topped with olive oil, and are meant to be eaten with the fresh-from-the-oven pita bread, which is served complimentary with every meal (it is a staple in Lebanese dining). All it took was one bite of pita bread dipped in hommos and I decided that I was in love with Lebanese cuisine! How can something as simple as chickpeas be turned into such a delightfully creamy, pungent, and slightly tangy gastronomic experience? We also had the Fattouch (RM20), a refreshing salad comprised of tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, radish, mint leaves, and rocket served with sumac (a spice derived from the sumac shrub) sauce.



Fattouch

The hot mezze included a fine selection of pastries, namely: cheese rolls (RM18) – homemade Lebanese cheese (which tastes like extra flavourful mozzarella cheese) wrapped in pastry and
deep-fried; Kebbeh Kras (RM18) – minced beef in fried crushed wheat dough with pine seeds; Beef Sambousik (RM18) – fried dough stuffed with minced meat and spices; and Spinach Fatayer (RM18) – fried dough stuffed with baby spinach, onions, and lemon zest. Besides the pastries, we also had Soujouk (RM22), spicy lamb sausages marinated with a special sauce (making them absolutely tender and juicy), and Batata Harra (RM18), fried potato cubes topped with chilli powder, garlic, coriander, and lemon (all potato lovers, your favourite dish gets an extra kick with all the amazing flavours and spices used here!).



Batata Harra


The mezze was followed by the standard mixed grill (RM58), a platter consisting of one lahem
mechwe (grilled beef tenderloin) skewer, one chich taouk (grilled chicken) skewer, and two kafta (minced beef) skewers. My personal favourite would be the grilled beef tenderloin, which was extremely tender and flavourful, although the chicken and minced beef was notably juicy as well.

We washed down that amazing meal with some Lebanese coffee and Baklawa, a traditional
Lebanese sweet made from pastry, peanuts and pistachios, along with Riz Bi Halib, a cold rice
and milk pudding made with rose water (an extremely palate-cleansing combination!). In Lebanon, coffee-drinking is a big deal – it is so much a part of the culture that it is joked that Lebanese who didn’t drink coffee could lose their nationality.
 
If you’ve never tried Lebanese cuisine, a great way to start is with Al-Amar’s Sunday buffet at a very affordable RM65++ per person, inclusive of soft drinks. After this experience, I cannot imagine considering myself a true foodie without trying Lebanese cuisine. What are you waiting for? Go make that reservation now!


Soujouk


Mixed Grill