Byblos- Lebanese Cuisine

I love Middle Eastern cuisine. Maybe its because I grew up eating a lot of it in Kuwait. There are some dishes that I miss so badly that I wish I could travel across time to savour them once again. Two dishes that I long for badly are Arayees and Baklava. I never knew I would ever taste these dishes again especially after returning to India. So when I came across food reviews on  Byblos in Bangalore I checked out their menu to see if they did provide authentic Lebanese food. I was overwhelmed to find Arayees listed  under the main course and my hubby and I visited this place to try Arayees. I was so excited and got busy explaining each thing we were served ( Dolmas, Hummus, Mutabel, Baba ganoush, Falafel) I forgot to click pics at our first visit there. I wanted to take my mom there on here next visit to Bangalore because I was sure she would relish her good old memories of Kuwait. So this time I controlled my emotions and remembered to click pics. I never get impressed on a second visit to a restaurant so I must say Byblos has struck a chord with me, I am super impressed to surpass the bill we shelled out. I would never recommend this for a large party because I find this place quite expensive but its worth the money you pay for 'Nostalgia' :)

So getting down with the review - From our experience  last time we knew we should not order individual portions for starters of main course so for starters we ordered the  Byblos hot mezzah- this was a platter that had falafel, harra potato, meat sambusek, cheese sambusek, spinach fatayer and chicken wings provencal.  This platter is ideal for 3 persons because then you get to taste one piece per item and that way for a new comer you get to sample all the delicacies. We were four and so it was difficult to sample every item. Hara potato was  awesome and plentiful compared to the other items on platter- now some would say lots of potatoes and that is cheating but trust me we did not waste a single piece it tasted awesome. The chicken wings were bland according to my brother in law but I consider that the hallmark of Lebanese cuisine. You cant expect bbq flavours from Lebanese cuisine. I loved the cheese sambusek but they were just 3 pieces on the platter. The falafel was not up to mark for me but I guess that’s all you can make with the ingredients available in India ( I don't think they used fava beans). At 1250 I find this platter too pricey but for new comers it’s a good choice because you get to sample all the goodies.

For main course we ordered Byblos mixed grill for three people. We were already filled with the complimentary pita bread and starters we had. Few of us had peppermint-flavored tea and the others had orange flavored soda. Having tea with Middle Eastern food evokes the authentic experiences I have had growing up in Kuwait but I believe it helps you digest the heavy non-veg you gorge onto.

 My hubby and bro in law thought peppermint tea tasted just like toothpaste so they went ahead and ordered. I found their drink overpriced and it had no flavour. The tea was charged per pot and I found that more reasonable. However, if you are insistent on having something cold along with your meal I don’t think you have many options at Byblos. So having had all these for starters, going for the mixed platter seemed ideal. It had all the basic dishes one would ideally want to taste when one goes for Lebanese cuisine. This platter had arayees ( that ground minced meat stuffed inside pita bread), lamb chops, lamb kofta,  shish taouk, lamb tikka and French fries. Though I thought this platter would not suffice for 4, we in fact had to quit halfway and get the platter packed for home. It might not look filling in the pic below but its a heap of meat and herbs.

 We did not order desserts though I was eyeing the baklava station in front of us ever since we were seated. So I was in for a surprise when we were offered the baklava as complimentary. I have heard a lot of negative reviews about the baklava sold in different joints in Bangalore but I can vouch for the authenticity of the baklava sold at Byblos, both the times I visited this place I have had fresh baklava and it tastes authentic. I ordered um ali last time but it was too hot and I don't like warm desserts but um ali is considered mother of desserts and is recommended to people who want to savour middle eastern desserts. Now the concept of dessert is Middle eastern cuisines is quite different from our Indian desserts. Like their starters and main course that's mildly spiced, the desserts too are mildly sweet, which might not suit the Indian palates used to sugary desserts. My hubby thought Baklava was nothing but puff pastry dipped in ghee and nuts and my efforts to glorify phyllo pastry fell flat in front of his arguments. So again if you have a sweet tooth in Indian terms you would require to tone it down to adjust yourself to the Lebanese desserts.

So finally, coming over to the report card. Byblos tastes authentic enough - atleast this is the best you could get in Bangalore according to me- I would give it an 8 out of 10. I had a horrible experience visiting Zaks in Frazer town, I was told it was awesome but frankly compared to Byblos the food served to us at Zaks was horrible and I ended up having food poisoning in my second trimester of pregnancy after having the kebabs at Zaks. Byblos is definitely expensive but so is many eateries located in Indira Nagar. The ambience is great, but I never bother about ambience if the food tastes great. And to me bottles of olive oil, pickles and trays full of baklava beside a char grilled oven is enough ambience to remind me of the Middle east. I would have loved to see few tents, some sand and a camel but that's too much to ask for right?

I think Byblos should offer unlimited hummus along with the pita bread they offer. I don't think hummus is difficult to make or expensive to make for that matter, for hummus addicts like me it's akin to chutney served with idlis and you just cant keep ordering them and wait for them to arrive while your main course gets cold.

Apart from this recommendation, I see nothing wrong with Byblos, especially if you loved mildly spiced Mediterranean food. I would definitely not recommend the place to people with a passion for spicy , tangy food, if you are looking for something spicy, Byblos will disappoint you. Also be careful while ordering drinks, its not worth the money ordering lemonades like my hubby and bro in law did, the Middle eastern cuisine does not boast many cocktails or mocktails, and are heavy drinkers of tea and coffee so stick to packaged drinks or fresh juices if they are served unless you are ready to welcome a new version of lemonade. So will I visit Byblos again, definitely yes, I am waiting to take my brother and sister the next time they are here.