A Generous Iftar at the Mövenpick, Beirut

Anthony's Restaurant Rating: 83/100 X

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

Food Temperature: 9/10 Food Taste: 16/20 Service: 6/10

Ambiance/Music: 8/10 Architecture/Interior: 8/10 Air Quality: 9/10

Total: 83/100

After last year’s experience at the Mövenpick, I decided to come back to check out what the changes are. Last year, Iftar was proposed at tent down at the beach, what was in my opinion a strategic mistake. When I entered to Mediterranee I felt relaxed.At the Movenpick, Iftar consists of more than a hundred choices for everyone’s craving. More then 10 stations welcome you serving everything you can imagine available in thee oriental cuisine.We were welcomed, as always, by a smily staff who showed us to our table. Mediterranee, the buffet restaurant of the Movenpick is where breakfast is served every morning as well as Sunday gatherings. The table have been perfectly set with a full set of cutlery and table napkins while we awaited the canon to announce the time.Iftar started with a choice of lentil soup and chicken soup while drinks proposed are jellab and amareddine. A good first impression while we moved to fill our plates.The cold cuts, cheese and pickles station:

• 7 kinds of cheese
• A variety of six ham choices
• All kinds of pickles
• Green and black olives

The salad bar:

• Coleslaw salad
• Pasta salad
• Couscous salad
• Shrimps salad
• Asian chicken salad
• Crab slices
• Tuna salad
• Caesar salad, do it yourself
• Fresh greenery
• Dried fruits

Cold selection:

• Artichoke salad
• Labneh with garlic
• Mousakaa
• Stuffed eggplant and zucchini
• Fasoulia bel Zeit
• Hummus
• Basterma
• Moudardara
• Hendbeh
• Shanklish
• Moutabal
• Fattouch
• Tabbouleh
• Faso ilia
• Kibbeh nayyeh
• Potato moutabal
• Dolma
• Tajen
• Samneh Harra

Hot dishes:

• Moughrabiyeh
• Malfouf mehche
• Whole roasted lamb on oriental rice
• Hammour fish
• Gnocchi potato
• Mixed grill
• Sheikh mehche
• Potato boulangere
• Ratatouille Provençal
• Steamed basmati rice

Live stations:

• Kafta arayess
• Falafel
• Shawarma

Desserts:

• Fresh fruits
• Feuillantine chocolate cake
• Opera
• Cheese cake
• Creme brûlée
• Assorted mini French pastries stuffed with fruits
• Kellogg ramadan
• Maamoul mad bi joz
• Mabrouk I
• Halawet el Jeben
• Katayef ashta
• Aish el Saraya
• Sfouf
• Fried katayef
• Halabino

After a selection of salads came the main meal. The stuffed cabbage is juicy and tender while the rice has an interesting crunch to it.the whole roasted lamb, one of my favorite dishes is excellent, well sliced, well cooked, a tender meat and a fine rice. My second favorite lebanese dish, the moughrabiyeh is as well great. It reminded me of my last visit to Tripoli where I tried for the first time the moughrabiyeh sandwich. This is the Movempick quality, this is what I Expect to eat when I come here.Small loafs of bread are first covered with Kafta then toasted in front of you: that’s Kafta Arayess. Tasty and interesting, take one, spread hummus on top and enjoy. What caught my attention is “Sheikh el Mehchi”. I love this plate but have always eaten it in a way that was different then tonight. Usually sheikh el mihshi is a opened eggplant filled wi meat and cooked but the Movenpick chefs revisited this recipe rolling sliced of grilled eggplant like cheese rolls. Bravo!I tried to have a bite of falafel which is more of a garlic falafel and couldn’t swallow the bite, the meat is good and tender but lacks seasoning, the mouhammara is very good while the moudardara is deceiving, hard and crunchy.A quick note about the chicken shawarma that’s not always a success around town. The chicken in here is tender, juicy and most importantly all made of chicken breast.Overall, Iftar at the Mövenpick is very good and I recommend you try it before the month ends.For desserts: The halabino, which is mafrouket festok with ashta has a bizarre sandy texture. You have to try the Daoukieh to understand how does have to taste like. The Halawet el Jeben is too watery and lack body and consistency. As for the jellab, a hard chewy envelop and a dull filling. Honestly, I’ll see what’s the problem down in the kitchen. The oriental pastry section needs some training. As for the occidental cakes, all are as good as they should be, just correct. As for the ice cream, a fresh sorbet that’s more cold then flavory… good for an hotel.Two dozen days left for you to come have a look at the Iftar here at the Movenpick. The staff is ready to welcome you with a big smile on their face while the army of chefs prepares some fine innovations.

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