Mounir — Restaurant in Beit Mery

Upon my mother’s request, we journeyed up to Broumana to have lunch at Mounir. I have definitely heard of Mounir, but honestly do not remember if I had visited it during my childhood. The reason we were heading there was that she had seen a photograph of the beautiful flowers they had. Indeed, the flowers are hard to miss; they are a lovely pop of color decorating the restaurant. Amidst the flowers, lies a small waterfall; water is always a welcomed addition to any environment. Another natural item of decoration is the view that Mounir offers to accompany your meal. When you arrive, a short path at the entrance leads you to the outdoor area of the restaurant. You are first greeted with local produce; tomatoes and watermelons. I loved how they consolidated the fact that you were at an authentic Lebanese restaurant. We were shown to our table, and after they provided us with a high chair with its own table (silent cheer) for our little one, we ordered a selection of mezze dishes (appetizers), as well as the barbecued skewered meat and chicken. They started us off with the fattoush and hummus; both were delicious. In fact, little did I know that they would be the best things that I would taste at Mounir. Next, the hot mezze items followed. The sambousik and kibbe were good, and so were their homemade fries and potato cubes. As for the cheese rolls, personally I prefer the melted cheese to be more gooey; I like to bite into it knowing that the cheese will still hold the fried roll from one end to the other as I pull it away from my mouth. Unfortunately, I did not get that. Considering the arayess; the meat inside was fine, but the bread pieces that they were placed in were soggy and the whole thing fell apart easily. When the skewered meat, chicken, and kafta arrived, their presentation was unappetizing. I would love it if most Lebanese restaurants put a bit more effort into the presentation of many of their platters. The chicken was okay and the kafta needed more seasoning to enhance the taste, in my opinion. I did find the meat really good though; it was tender and easy to chew. When we were done with the savory dishes, we were asked if we wanted to order fruits or sweets; they were not on the house like in some of the Lebanese restaurants. Actually, as I am writing this now, I wanted to use the word “majority”, but instead opted for the term “some”, because it seems less restaurants are offering fruits and desserts free of charge nowadays. Anyway, we chose to have an array of fruits and a couple of their desserts. The fruits were fresh and the katayef stuffed with walnuts were delicious. The mhalabiyye was a bit too fragrant for my taste. All in all, the nature, water, and cool breeze create a peaceful ambiance that makes anyone feel comfortable dining in. (Here, I should add that there is a playground area that children can use as an energy outlet.) However, although some platters were very flavorful, others were not that tasty. I was expecting a bit more from the food at a renowned restaurant...

It was lunchtime on a Spring day in early May and we arrived at Mounir restaurant.

My friend parked her car within centimeters of a towering jasmine hedge so that I opened the car door straight onto fragrant white blooms.This is the loveliest welcome one could hope to have at any restaurant, yet alone one at a mountain side in Lebanon, a place of antiquity that holds one of the oldest country names in the world in continuous reference and reverence and yet at the same time gives startlingly fresh and ethereal dining experiences.

As I followed the artistic floral path of jasmine,geranium and other horticultural delights to the restaurant’s main door, I peaked between the pathway's foliage and there I saw what can only be described as a breathtaking tent with tables and chairs elegantly awaiting our arrival… smart waiters in the grand space perfecting flourishes here and there.

To the one side of the restaurant, diners overlook a terraced slope where produce is grown and to the other end seating is alongside a rock garden with murmuring water feature...a thoughtful outdoor experience comfortably indoors.

One should go to Lebanon in May just to be seated at Mounir, to almost fall into a jasmine hedge on entering and then to simply have a bowl of equally fragrant mint leaves placed in front of you on a very crisp tablecloth on a very long table by a very grand waiter. Wow.

A symphony of delights continues in Lebanese style with one fresh plate after the next, after the next until the table is filled with dishes like artichoke and hindbeh , purslane with toasted pine nuts on humus , potatoes with coriander, meat and cheese rolls, stuffed aubergines ……each thing to be enjoyed for itself as something perfect in itself , or layered in a progression of flavours.

The service is impeccable, the finesse is exquisite. Even the bread , markouk bread ,was held up to the mountain light by my Lebanese friend as if it were a hand spun textile. Who even needs dessert in Lebanon when one has filigreed bread or a bowl of sweet onions that can be eaten neat ;)

We left Mounir to my friend’s mountainside home, another corner of another cliff away, another hospitality awaiting us. Any lunchtime experience in Lebanon is where food, friendships and generosity...

Good place for uneducated palates. I noted a lot of issues in several plates ordered. Here are a few: The kebbeh nayyeh was prepared with too much water. No taste of meat or burghul whatsoever. Uneatable. Left more than 70% of it. Called the manager who seemed in complete denial and totally oblivious to the remarks. The batata harra lacked harr (no chilli), lacked coriander (barely visible) and had no garlick. It was just roasted potatoes with red color. The manager pretexted that customers dont like chilli. Again, the man in complete denial. The humus was too liquid (water again?) and had no taste of hummus. They served hot bread which became very hard the minute it reached ambient temperature. Another issue with ingredients. We ordered grilled meat skewers and chich taouk. And the problems surfaced again: The onions were not grilled, completely raw and barely hot. Why so much uneatable onion to fill the plate? The taouk was dry. We ordered 4 skewers but the quantity was simply not there. The waiter was embarrassed and confused. As to the biwaz (to be spread on lebanese bread with chillli spread and pomegranate concentrate with other spices) it was a disgrace to biwaz. Barely ungrillled small piece of bread with some red color. You dont even want to look at it.

In summary, if you think this place serves high quality Lebanese food, you need perhaps to work on educating your palate and or seek some help and guidance in culinary assessment.

Not to mention that we waited for 5 minutes upon arrival looking for someone to greet us and find our reservation.

I used to come to this place since I was a kid. I was never disappointed to this level. Not going there again. When we asked for the bill they did not offer to serve complimentary fruits like most Lebanese restaurants with similar pricing levels do. Not sure whether because it was us or they simply do not offer.

Not going...