Prune: Where Simplicity is Mastered to Perfection

Anthony's Restaurant Rating: 91/100 X

Welcoming:8/10 Menu Choices: 9/10 Food Presentation: 9/10

Food Temperature: 10/10 Food Taste: 19/20 Service: 9/10

Ambiance/Music: 10/10 Architecture/Interior: 10/10 Air Quality: 7/10

Total: 91/100

Coming back to Prune was a necessity… I’ve been hearing very positive feedback about Prune for a while, so reviewing it again, and enjoying its great food, was common sense.

Let me tell you a story before we start. A friend of mine, and a fan of NGNO, has been making it a point to question all my reviews. Every time I tell him about a positive experience, his answer is always “I don’t think so, I’ll have to try it.” Up until last week, for the first time, he calls me to admit that I was right about Prune; “You are right, Prune is excellent, I’ve eaten well. Good food and an impressive dessert,” he said.

The ambiance at night is a true French bistro, fully booked and lively. It was amazing. People definitely come here for the food and the positive vibes.

The architectural details:

Reach a one door shop and be welcomed by a black steel vitrine. Metallic shelves display homemade food items of which prunes compote and prune jam
A long place with the kitchen door is at its very end
A spiral stair case adds a majestic feel to an industrial space. Use it to reach the bathrooms
A vintage feel all around – including the black stained mirrors, black steel, and marble details
The restaurant glass facade is typically French displaying some of the best items on the menu, all written creatively on the glass
Look down, the wine cellar is a oil change hole transformed from the days this shop was a mechanic shop
The floor is kept in its natural state, gray concrete with white stones
The high ceiling with dimmed yellow lighting is filled with hundreds of items that make it look like a piece of art. You can’t stop looking around, as you’ll keep on discovering things
At the end, the restaurant hosts a bar where bottles, set up on the shelves suspended from the ceiling, act as decoration
The place is filled with square white marble tables covered by paper placemats and surrounded with black wooden chairs and brown leather cushions
To the left, along the wall, black and white images decorate the space. Along the wall is a long light burgundy leather bench
To the right, one single large image is a group of wine makers from the late fifties
Four suspended chandeliers hang above the tables giving just the right amount of light

The menu:

Les salades
Les entrées
Quelques classiques du bistro
Nos huîtres
Grillades et plats
Moules et frites
Nos petits plus
Les desserts
Les ardoises

We ordered a lot, a bit of everything… And yes I was hungry.

Let’s enjoy some real good food:

The Goat’s cheese salad was different. I personally had enough of the toasted bread topped with goat cheese. Prune’s salad is served in a bowl, generously filled and mixed with prunes, lettuce and cherry tomatoes. The goat cheese is crumbled on top with a premium balsamic vinegar that couples sour and sweet flavors. As you think the experience is coming to an end, the crunch of walnuts adds the touch of finesse you expect. A food salad indeed

The king crab salad: A layer of rocket leaves, a generous portion of fresh crab and a strong lemony seasoning mixed with salt and pepper bits. It’s a fresh, yet simple salad that I recommend you try.

The foie gras, what else… My favorite in town. I really loved the foie gras the first time I came here so much that I ordered a 1kg portion for New Year’s Eve and Christmas last year. I’m not sure if Prune is still selling this foie gras to take away, but think of it as an option to consider. A pure foie gras full of flavors, no after taste and no lingering smell. Served with a chutney that has a light sweetness

Serrano with occidental melon: As simple as it is tasty. A soft, buttery sweet melon topped with thinly sliced, chewy ham. What a mix of textures as well as flavors that and sure to satisfy your taste buds.

The fresh artichoke salad with Granny Smith apples is one of those new tastes, Prune has introduced to the country. A generous mountain of lettuce and rocket mixed with crunchy, fresh uncooked artichokes and thinly sliced Granny Smith apples to add some sweetness as well as crunchiness that’s really good. Maybe the simplest of salads, but my favorite if I had to choose.

So… done with the starters, let’s move to the main plates. I was eagerly waiting to try the escalope and tagliatelle.

The XL escalope made me smile. I had it recently at Al Mandaloun and found it dry, too thin and too oily. Prune’s is thicker, fluffier, juicier, crustier and tasty, even the bread in had an interesting flavor. I would personally serve it with a creamy spinach sauce, which would make it perfect. So for now, squeeze the lemon on, cut a piece, spread some mustard and enjoy.

Today’s special was the smoked salmon tagliatelle. A generous portion of pasta as well as generous number of salmon bites, all bathed in a creamy sauce. Al dente, the pasta was excellent. That was one of my favorite dishes and I ask for it for dinner every other week when staying at home.

What a night! A great dinner, an enjoyable ambiance, lovely crowd… Everything to make you go back home happy.

For desserts, we started with a special ice cream: “Aspahan“. A creamy, rose loukoum, lychee and red fruits blend that has the color of bubble gum ice cream. It’s not a sorbet but a flavorsome ice cream that doesn’t have a sweet aftertaste.

Ouf! That’s the first expression you’ll make after tasting the tiramisu. Yes, Ouf! An excellent tiramisu that’s just perfect without any sophistication. Tiramisu as it should be .

Le Pain Retrouvé ... That’s not an Ouf, but more of a WOW! “Un sans faute”. Yes, officially the best Pain Perdu in Lebanon. Le Pain Retrouvé: Two large bricks of bread covered with caramel sauce and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Slightly crunchy on the outside while softer and more tender on the inside, filled with milk, butter and sugar that blend perfectly together. Some almonds decorate the plate, soaking up a caramel sauce that’s not sweet and rich in flavors. Two thumbs up .

Pears and Porto. You might want to close your eyes to handle the emotion. Two pears, cut in half, roasted, cooked, caramelized and bathing in Porto wine. While you crunch the pear, feeling the sweetness on your palate, the alcohol aromas erupt, going straight up to your brain tickling all your nerve endings.

A great dinner on all fronts. Today’s experience was exquisitely filled with passionate moments and discoveries. How amazing it is to enjoy good food and outstanding creations prepared by passionate, hard working people. With every bite you will admire and appreciate the effort that has been put to satisfy your taste buds. I truly enjoyed Prune, a French bistro offering a delicious dining experience in a unique setting and soothing atmosphere.