Seza

Spicy meats and straw hats at a new Armenian Bistro that takes the style thing seriously.

The devil is so often in the details, and when your adorably bashful waiter sports a uniform of sky-blue t-shirt and white apron topped off with a jaunty straw boater, perfectly matching the décor, it’s easy to give your heart away to Seza right then and there. This exquisite family joint is a welcome addition to Beirut’s well-known and loved range of Armenian restaurants, tucked away between bougainvillea-strewn architectural survivors on a corner of up-and-coming area Mar Mikhael.

Enjoying the clean interior palette of white and duck-egg blue accented with turquoise and purple (and if, like many, you tend to judge a place on its toilets, then add another star to the rating), you can order from a clear, wide-ranging menu incorporating all the Armenian classics you’d expect (including the gloriously-named ‘Itch’ - Armenian tabbouleh) as well as an exciting selection of twists on salads and mains that invite several visits to get your choices down pat.

My mortadella and muhammara starter (fragrantly garlicky cold sausage studded with pistachios, with spicy walnut and pomegranate syrup dip) was perfectly pitched, and my vegetarian friend felt the same way about the simply-stuffed aubergine with tomatoes and onions. A juicy ‘Su Beureg’ salt-pastry baklava and a palate-cleansing yoghurt and cucumber salad also won praise – sadly, the much-anticipated kefta with cherries sat for too long over its warming candle and was a slightly dry disappointment.

But we finished on a cheerful note with a light taster plate including biscuits and rice pudding. Very much the Bistro experience, this is not a place to dish up huge extravagant feasts. Also, the prices are shading into the range designed to keep out the riff-raff. But for evenings
calling for classy flavours in a coolly stylish atmosphere, Seza will soon be top of everyone’s lists.

(01 570711, 03 251257) Patriarch Arida Street, Mar Mikhael. Open Tue-Sun, 12noon-4pm and 8pm-12mid. Meal for two with drinks LL90,000.