Café des Lettres

I’ve eaten at many restaurants in my time (dined with ambassadors even) but I’ve never been asked to show my passport before entering - or walk through a metal detector. But that’s the protocol when you visit Café des Lettres, the cafeteria that serves both the CCF and the French Embassy. Knowing they feed the mouths of Beirut’s most important Francophiles, we second-guessed their dishes would be a little special. And while the brochettes de poulet aux epices were a little on the dryside, the saumon roti au miel was so mouthwatering I was left pinching myself. It’s a real shame we didn’t get to try their pièce de résistance; the steak with dauphinoise potatoes, which had sold out long before we’d arrived. Achrafieh’s La Mie Dorée supplies Café des Lettres with their delicious desserts. As I tucked into La Vie en Rose - a fluffy pink angel cake - hidden in the CCF’s peaceful gardens and surrounded by the chatter of French voices, I felt that rare pleasure: a total escape from Beirut, in Beirut. For now, this city secret gets four stars - although the jury’s out until we taste the steak...

Meal for two with drinks LL50,000

Café des Lettres at the CCF (01 420272/3) Damascus Road, Mathaf. Mon-Fri 9am-7pm.