What happens when renowned Lebanese restaurateur Marwan Keyrouz and equally famous Lebanese Chef Maroun Chedid team up? For those of you who have not yet had the chance to get acquainted with Gilt Beirut, it is the brain child of these two highly successful gentlemen. Nestled at the heart of upscale Saifi village, Gilt restaurant stands its ground amidst its neighboring fine dining places and wineries, setting the tone for modern cosmopolitan cuisine in the Lebanese capital since March 2013. Fine cuisine in a laid back yet classy environment is what Gilt is all about. The urban style interior is designed by Element night club’s renowned architect Issam Barhouch, as if to complete the genius trio.
This will be a sneak peek into the restaurant, a starter if you will, no pun intended, to open up your appetite and prepare the palate of those who haven’t been there to what seemed to me like a breath of fresh air on the dining scene in Lebanon by giving them a taste of the menu selection, the quality of ingredients used, the service, and above all, the level of passion that the owner and team members carry with them and that translates perfectly into every bite of the dining experience.
My visit to Gilt felt like a private tasting session for no particular reason other than the fact that I was in obligation to have an early lunch. The service I received and the food I had were a delight from start to finish, thanks to a team who is tremendously passionate about working at Gilt and doing what they are doing. I quickly made friends with Patrick, the young gentleman who was taking care of making my visit the delight it turned out to be. Patrick recommended the salad and main dish I had and accompanied me through my lunch in a pleasant yet highly professional manner, answering all my curious questions to the limits of his prerogatives. We exchanged thoughts on food in general, while I was eating away.
Starting with the bread, it is heavenly. Supplied by Prunelle, I was not at all surprised that it was this fresh and high quality. Beautifully served in a linen bag, it was endearing and enticing all at the same time.
I had the Black Angus Grilled Steak Salad, a combination of tenderloin slices, pomegranate seeds, house greens, walnuts, debs el remmen and balsamic vinaigrette. From the sound of it, nothing seems to stand out but trust me when I say that tasting is believing. The magic in this hearty salad, as relayed to the Chef, is the perfect blending of flavors as well as the balance in flavors and in textures. The acidity of the balsamic vinegar is perfectly balanced by the sweetness of debs el remmen while the pomegranate seeds add a superb crunch and a lovely playfulness to the whole thing, so much so that I insisted on going after each one of them before resting my cutlery. The house greens were fresh and crunchy and the Black Angus tenderloin slices were very tasty. Although at first, I was disappointed by how thin they were, I quickly understood the rationale when I realized how their slender size made it easier for them to blend in with the greens in every bite and deliver the taste they are designed to tickle your taste buds with. As the picture shows, the portion is generous but very well calculated. If you’re in the mood for a light meal, you can easily have it as your main dish. Otherwise, and because the amount of tenderloin slices is just right, you can have it as a salad and still have room for a good main dish, and that’s exactly what I did.
Discussing with Patrick the choices I had in mind for a main dish, he recommended I go for the House Cheese Burger and I did not regret it! According to the menu, it is a handcrafted meat patty with iceberg lettuce, tomato, onion rings, served with French fries on the side. Apart from the fact that the quality of the meat used in the patty is very good as it comes from the best two beef cuts, namely tenderloin and rib eye, there is a secret blend that makes the flavor exquisite. I had it well done; however next time, in order to enjoy the goodness and juiciness of the meat, I will definitely have it medium. Now for the fries, I wish they could be replaced with freshly cut ones. It would be a tastier option and would turn the dish into perfection. This was my only request to Executive Chef Tony Ziadeh, who visited me towards the end of my meal to make sure I enjoyed my food and listen to my comments. I truly hope it will be taken into consideration.
I will most certainly feed you in, again no pun intended, on my forthcoming visits, providing you with details on new menu items that I have tried and tasted, especially the Rib Eye Steak and the Grilled Beef Tenderloin, which passed right under my nose on its way to another table and literally made me drool!
- Welcoming: 9/10
- Food temperature: 8/10
- Ambiance/Music: 10/10
- Menu Choices: 10/10
- Food Taste: 18/20
- Architecture/Interior: 9/10
- Food Presentation: 8/10
- Service: 10/10
- Air Quality: 8/10
- Total: 90/100
One last note: please don’t be surprised if you see Marwan Keyrouz most of the time at the restaurant and if he’s the one to answer your call and take your details whenever you are making a reservation by phone. This is what passion is all about… What’s certain is that I cannot wait to go back with friends and experience excellence all over again as this place is already my favorite on many levels so far and I know I will not be disappointed.
