Your Next Date Night: Kami in Blue at Byblos Sud

July 20, 2018

Last Friday night, we voyaged to a serene, tucked-away beach community somewhere along the French Rivera. Or so it seemed. Heading north toward Byblos, we pulled off the highway just before the main exit and looped beneath to the seaside to find ourselves outside a grand gated community called Byblos Sud.

A golf cart whisked us past blocks and blocks of dim facades evocative of a sleeping beach resort. Images of the beautiful Costa Navarino in Messinia, Greece, flashed through my mind as the cart stopped abruptly at a set of stairs. We ambled out and started to descend the cliff one step at a time. I couldn’t help but stop and stare at the view of a beautiful, black sea below. If only we’d arrived in time for sunset, I thought regretfully.

The view as you descend from cliff to sea

At the foot of the stairs, we were ushered in to the brand new Japanese dining outlet Kami in Blue. A microcosm of the original, decade-strong establishment Kami steeped in Byblos, this beachfront property wastes no time in whetting your appetite. Water laps at the sandy shore just beneath your feet while a sea breeze ruffles your mane. Earnest waiters are at your beck and call, guiding you through an extensive menu of raw and cooked Japanese delights. In the corner, a brightly-lit, all-glass enclosure serves as a hygienic cooking environment for the chefs, whom you can readily approach and admire as they prepare your selection.

Could you desire anything more?

Where the raw seafood dishes are prepared

Feel free to mosey up to the glass window and watch the chefs work their magic

Eliane, with four years of experience waitressing at Kami, suggested the cocktail of the day: fresh pressed watermelon muddled with vodka and mint leaves. "Two, please." We then proceeded to check off alluring items from a paper menu.

In due time, a parade of food marched through our table. Not fond of raw fish, I clung to the cooked edibles and hardly felt as though I were missing out. I mean, how could I, when Kami in Blue’s dynamite shrimp are quite easily and unequivocally the best I’ve ever had, in Lebanon and abroad? A delicate shell slathered with a creamy, piquant dressing gives way to piping hot shrimp bursting with freshness and robustness. We downed that martini glass tower in a few minutes flat.

Dynamite Shrimp

In the way of a salad, I opted for the seaweed number while my husband tackled a white fish ceviche. We were both left smitten by the impeccable interplay of ingredients, underscored by a pinch of sweetness to pull together elements of the savory. Again, these dishes quickly rose to the ranks of best we’d ever had in their respective classes.

Seaweed salad

White fish ceviche

Homing in on my main dish required little effort. I saw the word soba and swooned. If you’ve never tried the buckwheat flour noodle, you'll learn it complements nearly anything you toss it with, particularly stir-fried veggies and seafood. Kami in Blue’s soba spectacle is chockfull of shrimp, squid, and scallops – my favorite. It looks like a dish you can pull off at home, but don't be fooled. This stuff demands skill and vision. And I’m happy to cede the kitchen to Kami's culinary gurus.

Spicy seafood soba noodles

My husband ordered a medley of sushi and sashimi tacos, but having partaken liberally in my cooked affairs, he had little space to consume his! There’s a bigger moral here that I’m about to impart – and it’s not "leave your partner at home."

A selection of sushi

Salmon sashimi tacos

Kami in Blue’s portions are generous. The ingredients are tellingly fresh. The food is absolutely sublime. My advice? Focus exclusively on either cooked or raw during a given dining visit. Don't blend the two, or you might risk drowning out the subtle nuances of each dish.

And inch your way deliberately through the meal as you inhale your tranquil surroundings. There’s nothing like it in all of Lebanon, so soak it up slowly. The waiters won’t rush you. The operations manager Georges might assume you’re not totally pleased with your dining experience because you’re indulging with seeming restraint.

Just tell him Beirutista prescribed it. That’s how they do it in the French Rivera, anyhow, which is practically where you’ve washed up.