The Old Folks are very conservative when it comes to food. Whenever we bring them out for a meal, it’s almost always Chinese. This time, we wanted to see how far we could push their culinary boundaries by bringing them to Beirut Grill.
This was the third Restaurant Week meal we had in October, and was a place that we’ve always wanted to visit. It has made our shortlist numerous times, but for various reasons, never quite succeeded in making the cut.
Just so they were mentally prepared, we alerted The Old Folks beforehand that we were going to a Middle-eastern restaurant. We couldn’t tell their initial reaction over the phone, but I assume they must have felt some amount of trepidation.
After all, this was out of their comfort zone. Like way, way out. But since it’s unlikely that they’ll ever travel to Lebanon for holidays, this was probably the closest they’d ever get to experiencing that part of the world.
Looking at the special Restaurant Week lunch menu, we could tell that Beirut Grill was sincere in their attempt to introduce new customers to as much of their food as possible. There were just so many options to choose from.
Each one of us would get the same lentil soup starter. But after that, we could choose 2 dips out of 6 choices, 2 pastries out of 3 options, 1 main course out of 7 possibilities, and finally, 1 dessert out of 2 alternatives.
And if that wasn’t complicated enough, 1 of the options for the main course was the ability to “Build Your Own Kebab Plate” by choosing 1 out of 2 salads and 2 out of 4 skewers, which would then be served together with bread and saffron rice.
Having four people meant that we could try all the dips, breads and desserts on offer, and sample 57% of the mains on the menu. Which happened to be a side benefit of bringing The Old Folks out, and feeding them food that they otherwise wouldn’t even think about trying.
Upon stepping into the restaurant, we could tell that their first impression of the place wasn’t great. Even though it was a bright sunny day outside, the interior was kept dark with dim yellow lighting.
It was obvious that they’ve been in operation for quite some time. A quick check on their website confirmed that they were established in 2009, and the, let’s just say vintage, condition of their furniture and furnishings was consistent with that timeline.
But we were there to sample their food, and the well-worn interior didn’t distract us from our key objective. On the contrary, if they’ve been around for so long, they must be pretty good. Especially considering how competitive Singapore’s F&B scene is, and how expensive rents must be in the Kampong Gelam enclave.
Given the extensive menu, it took us a while to sort out our orders, and I have to commend the waitress for her patience.
Our lentil soup starter soon arrived, and it was a great start to the meal. It’s a simple enough dish, but the heady spice mix really opened up our appetites. It also helped that the flavours were familiar to The Old Folks. It was similar to the dhal curry that’s commonly served at neighbourhood roti prata stalls, only more refined and complex.
Our dips and pastries were next, and each portion was served in a customised wooden paddle. When we first heard about Beirut Grill, it was their wide assortment of mezze that caught our attention.
Seeing all of them presented in front of us helped raise our anticipation of finally being able to try everything. The blobs of chickpea Hummus and mashed eggplant Baba Ghanoush were familiar sights, but there was also the cheese yoghurt Labneh, red pepper Muhamarra, Cucumber Yoghurt and eggplant Moutabal.
Among the accompanying pastries, the one that really stood out was the Falafel, which ironically wasn’t a pastry. But that didn’t matter, because it was possibly the more delicious falafel I’ve ever had.
Granted that I haven’t actually tried many versions in the past, but the flavourful morsel of fava beans, chickpeas and tahina sauce was moist, while somehow maintaining its structural integrity. Portions for the mezze sampler were generous, and we were feeling quite full by the time we finished.
But we weren’t given much time to digest, because our procession of mains started arriving. And the portions were huge, at least by our standards. The Chicken Kabsa came in the form of an entire drumstick plus thigh on top of a full plate of saffron rice.
It was slathered in a rich, well-spiced and thick gravy, similar to a Malay ayam masak merah but less sweet and more layered. The chicken must have been marinated in the sauce for quite a while, because the robust flavours fully penetrated the juicy dark meat.
The two long skewers of Beef Kebab were also served on rice, and came with a special Nespresso-infused caramelised brown sugar BBQ sauce on the side. The cubes of beef alternated with chunky charred pieces of onion and red, green and yellow bell peppers.
And just in case you need a bit more kick to the dish, an entire grilled green chilli was included for you to munch on, as required. It came in quite handy for me, as I felt that the sauce was a bit too mild.
While the beef was marinated well, it was cooked a bit too well done, making it just a tad too dry. The kitchen could have probably used the peppers as a gauge, as they seemed overly charred.
There was a choice of chicken, lamb, vegetarian or Impossible (i.e. fake meat) for our Moussaka, and we opted for the vegetarian version. If you like cheese, you’ll definitely love this dish. They pile on a crazy amount of mozzarella and grill it to a nice toasty char, right before they serve.
We prefer our moussaka to have a mushy consistency, so it would have been better if they cooked down the vegetables more. But the texture didn’t detract from its wonderful tomato-ey taste, especially with the thick topping of cheese.
No middle-eastern meal is complete without an order of Iskander Kebab, preferably made with lamb. Given how gamey lamb can sometimes get, it’s kind of an acquired taste. The Old Folks didn’t particularly like it for that reason, but that only meant more for me to enjoy!
The minced meat was already quite juicy, but made even more so with their special tomato sauce slathered on top, together with lashings of creamy yoghurt. I would have happily polished off the entire plate, but there just wasn’t sufficient stomach capacity.
We ended up Frankenstein’ing a plate of leftovers from the various unfinished dishes, and requesting for a doggy bag. They were happy to oblige and we reheated the leftovers for a really nice lunch the next day.
Thankfully, the desserts came in small portions and comprised of Baklava and a milk-based pudding called Mouhalabiah. It took us a few tries to get the pronunciation correct, thanks to the patient guidance of our waitress.
We’ve had nicer baklavas, and it would have been better if their famous kunefe was offered as an option. In fact, we asked if it was possible to combine our four dessert portions and exchange it for one portion of kunefe instead.
The answer was a polite but predictable “No”. But hey, we had to at least try.
I asked The Old Folks what their overall rating was for the meal, and they gave it a surprising 8 out of 10. Surprising, given how exotic the entire lunch must have been to them.
Of all the dishes, their favourites were the Chicken Kabsa and the Beef Kebab. The Wife’s was also the Chicken Kabsa and mine, of course, was the lamb Iskander Kebab.
On second thoughts, I think the Mezze Sampler would rank the highest, given how varied the flavours were and also how fun it was to eat.
As we left, we asked our waitress how Lebanese food differed from Turkish food. She replied that there were many similarities, but Lebanese dishes had a stronger Arabic influence, given the closer proximity.
Well, it looks like we’re fans of Lebanese food now.
