branchofKaleiopenedearlierthisyear
inthewesternsuburbofRasBeirut,in
adistinctive1920smansion.Aboveitisour
firstguesthouse,TheCartonTownhouse,
overlookingBeirut’soldlighthouse.
kaleicoffee.com;artandthensome.com
MOLO
Ifyou’reanaspiringactortryingtoget
discoveredbyafilmdirector,Molo,in
therecentlygentrifieddistrictofBadaro,
istheplacetobe.Thevenue’sterrace,
reasonablepricesandfusionsoundtrack
ofmodernandclassicalArabicmusic
andjazzattractanarty,creativecrowd.
Theowners–musicianandartistRaed
Yassin,scriptwriterandfilmdirector
BassemBrecheandhispartnerSarah
Nohra,whorunsMetroalMadina,an
entertainmentvenueonHamraStreet
- hirenewmigrants,andthestaffcreate
aneighbourhoodbarfullofcharacter.
(Moloisthenameofoneofthebar’slong-
standingemployees,whocomesfrom
Ethiopia.)There’salargecollectionofgins
andsingle-maltwhiskies,andapizzamenu
onwhichItaliansausageisreplacedby
merguez,oreganobyza’atarandhotsauce
bypomegranatemolasses. molobadaro
ANISE
AniseinMarMikhaelisthelong-lost
LebanesebrotherofaNewOrleans
speakeasy,andIoftencomehereforthe
textbookVieuxCarrécocktail.But,as
thenamesuggests,thehousespecialtyis
arak–inthiscase,craftarakfromallover
Lebanon.‘ThisoneisfromZahlé,that’s
fromJezzine.Theonenexttoitisfrom
Bhamdoun,’saysoneofthebartenders,
Avo,runningthroughanimpressive
collectionlinedupbehindthewood-
panelledbarinsetwithasmokyoldmirror.
Dapperinblacktiesandwaistcoats,the
staffrememberpatrons’namesandwhat
kindofgintheypreferinthebar’ssignature
cocktail,theLastWord.Aniseisalsoknown
foritsrangeofabsintheand,notforthe
faint-hearted,itsownmoonshine.Happy
‘hour’runsnightlyfrom6-9pm,andthebar
closesat1.30am.Nightowlsandregulars,
meanwhile,stayforthesingledishonthe
menu:kibbestuffedwithlabneh. Anise
FALAFEL AL NAWWAR
Never discuss politics or falafel with
a Beiruti – raising either of these topics
will spark hours of heated debate. I’ll
add fuel to the fire by naming my current
favourite falafel shop: Falafel Al Nawwar,
a modest shopfront barely large enough
for half a dozen customers to stand in,
with charming white and blue tiles
wrapped around the prep counter.
It’s one of about 50 in the city serving
variations on the falafel sandwich: hot
falafel balls, chopped parsley, sliced
tomatoes and red radish, turnip pickles
and tarator (the essential tahini, lemon
and garlic sauce) all wrapped in pita baked
that morning. The family-run shop in
Ain El Remmaneh may be small, but the
balance of crispness, tang and punch
makes its falafel sandwich just right.TAWLET
Kamal Mouzawak founded Beirut’s first
farmers’ market, Souk El Tayeb, in 2004.
The farmer’s son and former TV host
wanted to support producers and preserve