BTO: Authentic Lebanese fare in Arab Street

Business Times - 30 Mar 2009

Authentic Lebanese fare in Arab Street

NEW RESTAURANT

Gulf Beach Restaurant & Cafe
41 Arab Street
Tel: 6292-2330

PART of what makes food from a particular country 'authentic' are the ingredients used. At Gulf Beach Restaurant, spices from Lebanon and Syria are used to create Lebanese fare, says Lebanese chef Mohamad Nabil Baroudi.

 

The spices he uses for Shawerma meat are from Damascus, Syria, for example, while falafel spices are brought in from the United Arab Emirates.

 

'And I'd describe the cuisine I make as quite home- made and authentic. I don't try to try too hard to make Lebanese food that suits the local palate,' says the chef, who used to own and run Alaa El Din in Jalan Pinang, near Arab Street.

 

He has since sold the restaurant and is now executive chef at the month-old Gulf Beach, opened by Singaporean Alvin Bee, who worked in Dubai for five years. Mr Bee got into the F&B business with a friend, initially in Bangkok, where they opened a restaurant serving mainly Omani cuisine. That one is also named Gulf Beach, so the Singapore outlet is actually the second branch.

 

Lebanese restaurants apparently have good standing in the Middle East, with 'Lebanese' being a catchword for quality fare. Over in Singapore, unfortunately, one does not get a sense of how luxurious it can be, mainly because eating practices are quite different here.

 

Instead of having a huge tray at the table serving all kinds of appetisers, for example, serving portions here are more modest. You can still simulate the mezza platter, of course - it's just that it comes on a biggish plate rather than a silver tray.

 

For starters, the Byblos Mezza ($15) is good value that gives you a taster of the appetisers, which you can share as well. Chef Mohamad's hummus is very good and fresh, with the paste of chick peas and white sesame drizzled with Lebanese extra virgin olive oil. It's worth your while ordering a single bowl of humus, in fact, if you're fond of the paste.

 

We also liked the well char-grilled eggplant mash (baba abou saiid), while the fattoush was a toss of fresh vegetables like tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, onions, mixed peppers and fresh mint with a sweetish salad sauce. The Waraq inab (vine leaf rolls, $7 a handful) was also yummy, with tasty warm cooked rice rolled in grape leaves.

 

As for the main course, you can go the easy route and order the mixed BBQ platter ($18). It's a combination of lamb chop, taouk (grilled chicken breast), lamb kofta and shish awsal (beef tenderloin), served with char-grilled vegetables.

 

The menu descriptions tend to raise expectations overly high where the char-grilled meats are concerned. Except for the minced lamb rolls, the other meat was on the tough side and slightly dry. But maybe some who like their meat 'au naturel' would appreciate the fact that they are lightly marinated so the spices are quite balanced and not overwhelmingly strong.

 

The platters come with some decent condiments, like garlic mayonnaise and a fresh chilli paste that was fiery red but tasted very mild.

 

There are some choices on the menu for the non-adventurous. But if you veer away from the Lebanese selections that are clearly this restaurant's strength, you may not like the consequences. The vegetarian option is a Pasta Bolonaise that has a strong tomato paste-like base dotted with green and red peppers, but served with melted cheese on top which seemed like it was microwaved. Not the best-tasting, which really limits the vegetarian options here.

 

As for the fish and chips, put on the menu for the benefit of children, the crunchy batter is a tad thick, while the fish used is grouper fillet, which is slightly on the oily side and doesn't have enough 'body' for Western-style fish and chips.

 

Do finish off with the delicious cardamom-infused Lebanese coffee ($4.50) and syrup-soaked crunchy nut-and-pastry baklavas ($1.50 per piece), which are very nice.

 

Another drink worth checking out is the Brik Chay, which is tea flavoured with cinnamon and mint leaves ($7 for a pot).

 

The restaurant introduced set lunches last week, where you can get a starter or soup, main meal and drinks for $15. The main meal could be fish and chips, Byblos Mezza or char-grilled chicken breast.

 

On the whole, the cuisine at Gulf Beach is quite light and should generally satisfy the folks who go to Arab Street to soak up the atmosphere.

 

Rating: 6/10
By Cheah Ui-Hoon