Feel-Good Vibes at Lancaster Plaza's Prime18
One of the most charming corners of our country has to
be the Raouche area. The iconic rock formations emerging off the shore;
picturesque seaside surrounds; a massive sidewalk that stretches for kilometers.
It’s the perfect spot to watch planes make their descent into Beirut
International Airport. Seven years ago,
when I moved to Lebanon, I frequented these parts thrice weekly to soak up the Mediterranean sun.
Lately, however, Raouche has fallen off my radar, and I
wanted to revisit it. So on an uneventful Friday night during this inclement
Beirut winter, we
made our way to the newly unveiled Prime18 perched on the 18th
floor of the Lancaster Plaza.
I’d never stepped foot inside the hotel before. In fact,
it’s almost easy to overlook despite its prominent position on the seaboard,
just opposite to the Movenpick. A doorman ushers you in to a swift
security check before you’re invited to alight the elevator. Step off on the 18th,
and a dim lounge engulfs you with its warmth.
To the right, a cigar aficionado’s den, lined with walls of
stogies on offer. To the left, a hedonist’s haven, the dining floor, with
sweeping views of the sea for as far as the eye can wander.
First impression? Comfortable seating. Attractive tableware.
Soothing vibes. And smart service, extremely attentive and exacting by what are
no doubt aspiring hoteliers.
The menu does not overwhelm. A few items each flesh out the soups,
starters, salads, mains, and desserts. Typically French fashion. But not
typically French cuisine. Which is fine by me, because I love a creamy, al
dente risotto aux cèpes decorated with a Parmesan lattice crisp. And Plaza’s
executive chef hits it out of the ballpark, far enough that we at home base had
ample time to indulge in two.
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| An impeccable mushroom risotto |
For starters, we partook in a fresh, crisp endive-Roquefort
salad studded with pomegranate seeds and walnuts for a welcome contrast of
textures. Have you ever sampled grilled endive? That charred taste complements
lettuce profusely well.
 |
| Endive and Roquefort salad |
Fancy fresh calamari with fava beans and heart of artichoke?
Nothing about this plate is canned or pickled, which in itself is enough to up
the pleasure factor while ensuring you get a healthy dose of fiber and protein.
 |
| Pescetarian's delight: calamari and artichoke salad |
There’s a dish on the menu dubbed “chicken for two,” and
true to its name it features a whole grilled chicken flattened from being sandwiched
between metal wire racks. Fragrantly rubbed and marinated, it is accompanied by
what is easily Prime18’s specialty – mushroom risotto – along with a medley of
half-crisp vegetables.
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| Grilled chicken for two |
The entrecote is a generous slab of meat with the characteristic
skirt of fat, but it is rather tough and chewy to bite through.
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| Entrecote |
Unilateral salmon – wherein the fish is fried on one side
until it is heated all the way through -- didn’t dazzle in the way I yearned
for. Somehow little moisture locked in during cooking, leaving the filet to dry
out. The berry compote carefully spooned over it delivers a very bitter
profile. I’d have preferred a more traditional lemon-cream sauce animated with aniseed or fennel.
 |
| Salmon with berry compote |
In the dessert department, the fondant gushes premium
dark chocolate tempered with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a biscuit twirl.
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| Fondant au chocolat with the essential vanilla ice cream |
Prime18’s pain perdu is unusual, captured by a collection of soft cubed bread
drizzled with caramel and swimming in a pool of milk inside a cast-iron
skillet. It falls somewhere between Um Ali and a bowl of warm cereal in terms
of taste, but the assembly doesn’t come together the way you hope it would. I
like my pain perdu to be one of two archetypical extremes, either in the
spirit of French toast and properly toasted, or more of a bread pudding baked
to a supple consistency and wafting with vanilla. This was neither.
 |
| A spin on the traditional pain perdu |
A pleasant surprise came in the form of the evening’s entertainment,
provided by a male-female duo softly cooing Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin tunes.
With tables adequately spaced out and service keen on pleasing but careful not
to smother, we felt at ease enveloped in a feel-good ambiance.
A revisit is in the cards, because when you stumble across a perfect risotto, you want to hang on tight and pray that, like the immutable Pigeon Rocks of Raouche, nothing changes.
A revisit is in the cards, because when you stumble across a perfect risotto, you want to hang on tight and pray that, like the immutable Pigeon Rocks of Raouche, nothing changes.
General de Gaulle Avenue
Raouche - Beirut
01-791000
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