Nasma's Modern Levantine Cuisine Is A Breath of Fresh Air
I generally shy away from using the term “fusion cuisine,”
because these days, which cuisine isn’t a tapestry of varying culinary and
regional influences? Even at traditional Lebanese restaurants like Burj el
Hamem or Mhanna, you’re bound to find the Aleppan specialties of muhammara and
kebab Orfali, in addition to the Armenian spiced sausages makanek and soujouk.
And who’s not familiar with Lebanese manakish slathered with a paste of olive
oil and Jordanian zaatar?
So when I heard that restaurant Nasma was being labeled as
fusion, I cringed. That doesn’t tell us a thing, does it? Even the oft-quoted
“Lebanese with a twist” fails to do justice to the alimentary offerings Nasma
boasts. Every restaurant in existence features some kind of twist, owing
to the chef’s palate and preferences!
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| A selection of hot mezza items at Nasma |
Two separate dining visits in the span of 96 hours helped crystallize
an image of what this eatery dishes up, and that’s unequivocally modern Levantine cuisine.
Sure, you can have your Lebanese staples without a fuss: a creamy bowl of
hummus, a lemony salad of tabbouleh, smashed spheres of falafel with tahini.
But if you do, you’ll quite easily be missing out on the most unique nuances of
Nasma’s gourmet repertoire.
I’d heard of the Damascene lentil stew 7arak esba3o, which contextually translates to “finger-licking
good,” but Nasma presents it in salad format with coriander, garlic,
pomegranate seeds, onions, croutons and rocket leaves (9,750 LL). It’s tangy, refreshing and easily borrows from at least three cuisines. Croutons to top
a salad? Quintessentially Americana.
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| A refreshing lentil and pomegranate seed salad |
Cauliflower are the hallmark of the Lenten season, and
Nasma doesn’t let them go underutilized. How about a mtabbal 2arnabit whose thick consistency emanates from
puréed cauliflower blended with tahini (10,750 LL)? The crowning laurels are
florals: pan-fried flowerets of cauliflower.
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| Mtabbal 2arnabit: cauliflower with tahini |
In many conventional Lebanese restaurants, you have the
option of topping your hummus with tiny cubes of beef called ras asfour. At Nasma, however, ground
beef tossed with onions and pine nuts are cradled in a hummus centrifuge (it
sure looks like one, doesn’t it!) (11,750 LL). The flavor profile couldn’t be
richer or more irresistible.
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| Hummus with ground beef and pine nuts |
Cheese rolls, or rkeket
jebneh, have got to be my Achilles heel, with their molten core and
delicate phyllo envelope. Nasma kicks it up a notch with basil and garlic, and
even in the baked edition, they’re oh so decadent (7,750 LL for 4).
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| Cheese, garlic, and basil rolls |
Spinach-artichoke dip has found its way onto every menu in
Lebanon, from the café du coin to every pub in Mar Mikhael. Enough,
right? Nasma chucks the mozzarella for feta and replaces corn chips with their
crisped pita counterparts. Albeit slightly acidic, this dip is good stuff (13,250
LL).
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| Baked feta and spinach |
Possibly the most epiphany-inducing dish I sampled was the
chili con carne, which swaps out ground beef in favor of casing-free soujouk
(13,750 LL). Who’d have thought it tastes better than both its
predecessors? A scoop of guacamole is the perfect garnish.
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| Clockwise from top left: mousakhan chicken wraps, chili con carne with soujouk, and corn chips |
Mousakhan, a Palestinian specialty, bundles roasted chicken, sumac, pine nuts, and
onions inside paper-thin markouk
bread. Nasma almost masters it, pairing it with a cup of plain yogurt, but the
wrap is more on the order of tortilla bread thickness (13,750 LL). Preserving
its desired thinness allows the contents to take center stage, rather than emphasizing the
carb buffer.
If you think a dessert lineup wouldn’t stand a fighting
chance after such a strong savory suite, think again. Nasma proposes a dozen
totally novel delicacies, and the five I tried were all inspiring.
Profiteroles stuffed with bouzet ashta, milk-flavored Arabic ice cream with salep, come
drizzled in carob molasses and adhered together with homemade fig jam (13,750
LL for 8).
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| Profiteroles with ashta ice cream, carob molasses and fig jam |
Spiced carrot cheesecake is exactly what you’d expect: a
base of moist carrot cake layered with whipped cream cheese and grated carrots
tossed in sugar, all sided by a dollop of ashta ice cream (11,500 LL).
Tremendous.
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| Spiced carrot cheesecake |
Although you can hardly make out the halawa, the
chocolate-banana cake is rich in dark chocolate bark and a custardy banana
base. It also comes accompanied by a scoop of ashta (13,750 LL).
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| Chocolate, banana and halawa cake |
What will probably prove the most popular treat is the
knefeh-ice cream love triangle, drawing on a base of crunchy semolina beneath
vanilla and chocolate ice cream layers and swirls of Nutella (16,500 LL).
Sesame seeds, candied rose petals, and crushed pistachios extend an Oriental
touch.
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| Knefeh and Nutella: a match made in heaven? |
Any fans of baked cheesecake in the house? Nasma’s will win you over with
its embedded sultanas and a syrup-drenched phyllo dough topping (13,750 LL). Best part? It doesn’t suffer from the same magnitude of calories of a
similar slice at The Cheesecake Factory.
Just as its name purports, Nasma is a breath of fresh air, and
it will undoubtedly blow you away.
City Centre Beirut (Hazmieh): 01-288256
The Village Dbayeh: 76-182636
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