Barbizon: Good Food is Served Here (Restaurant Closed)

This is my second time at Barbizon and this time, the experience was way better. The Beiruti fine dining address managed by Georges Batal, the man behind Au Vieux Quartier, Lutecia and Alésia, is located in Achrafieh where La Posta used to be. Read my last review to have a better idea of the place.

Before starting the experience, let’s enjoy homemade bread, served warm next to Echiré butter. Tasty bread, a crunchy crust and a warm inside. Flavorful, aromatic and fresh. The butter was too cold this time and I would suggest that the glass of wine served by the glass should be poured in front of the customer.

Appetizers:

• Jamon: tender, richly fatty, adequately salty, covered with fine fat and leaves a pleasant long lasting after note in the mouth. It's smooth, not hard and chewy, as if it was tenderized.
• Fresh Asparagus: four thick asparagus served with a side salad and lemon juice.
• Three hearts of artichoke served with a side mix of greens and covered with lemon juice. Firm texture which you can enjoy cutting into small pieces to make the pleasure last longer.

Main courses:

• The black truffle risotto is exquisite! A triple bravo for creating rice cooked al dente, firm with an enjoyable texture and mixed with strongly aromatic black truffles and truffle oil. Creamy risotto that's really addictive, an enjoyable flavor; this is a plate you want to finish completely!
• The Ravioli is as good! Creamy as it should be, cooked al dente, stuffed with cèpes and bathing in a creamy mix. It's a journey through different flavors combined on one plate. The ravioli tickles your taste buds and activates many of your senses.
• Imagine super tender meat cooked to perfection, medium well with a red heart and no red juices leaking onto the plate. The tender yet well textured meat is served with spinach and a potato on the side. Didn't get any sauce though.
• Now for the main item, the stroganoff presented in a casserole with rice and fried finger potatoes. Two thumbs up for this beef stroganoff, the meat quality is excellent, the sauce is unique - the mix of red sauce and fresh cream with touches of acidity. A must try plate.

I am so impressed by the improvements:

• The food tastes way better than the first time I visited. Especially the risotto and beef Stroganoff.
• The plates are nicely decorated and interesting to photograph. You feel the fine dining touch.
• Better trained, the staff seem more confident and know their way around.
• It was pretty packed on a Thursday. The mood was great.

One of the best Pain Perdu in town is back! Alesia's amazing pain Perdu is back at Barbizon. Two triangular pain de mie soaked to perfection, topped with crunchy flakes and enrobed with caramel sauce. Very soft bread toasted round the edges and as sweet as it should be, crunchy flakes and lots of love.

The cake is awesome! 

Ouf! That's a shock! Tasty Alcazar, very thick walnut tart topped with sliced banana and a creamy jam. It's a masterpiece indeed! Thank you chef for putting a smile on my face.

The fixes needed:

• Expected wine by the glass to be poured at the table.
• Music could be homogenised; sometimes French sometimes lounge... 
• Service should be a bit more thoughtful in order to match the fine-dining status of the restaurant.

I left happy and satisfied. It’s a nice place with nice ambiance, good food, good service, and definitely good value for money.