For the past few years, Beirut saw the emergence of a number of unconventional outlets, finding a place for themselves in the market. One of the first places to open such a unique concept store is Kitsch.
Kitsch is located on the ground floor of an old and authentic Lebanese house in Gemmayze.
The boutique -café- bakery offers everything from the latest fashion trends, funky accessories, vintage items, and bio-cosmetics, to the best cupcakes in town and now with Joanna's Table at Kitsch, the best mankoushe in town... to start with!
Kitsch has always has always served the tastiest homemade meals and deserts. But today, the restaurant part of this unique gem is completely handled by Joanna Kassem, hence the name Joanna’s Table. Of course we’re NoGarlicNoOnions, so this is what we will be focusing on – Joanna’s Table. I had the chance to meet Joanna - very bubbly character with an obvious passion for food. She has always believed food should taste good and everyone should be able to enjoy it. The food at Joanna's Table is naturally full of flavor, goodness and passion. I was about to venture into it.
They cook with seasonal and fresh ingredients that are lovingly produced by a local farmer, Joanna's dad, Wassef Kassem who's always on the lookout for new and different and one of a kind vegetable.
The menu is divided in different section named specially like the funky Kitsch:
The Breakfast, It's all about eggs, We Wanna Eat Bread, We Love Salads, Only When it's Cold (soup of the day), Can't live Without Pasta, Sweet Tooth, Hot Drinks, Cold Drinks, The Bakery & All Things Sweet. "Ask your waiter for our cake & sorbet of the day, we are always full of surprises!"
We ordered:
- Purely Lebanese (coffee, freshly squeezed orange juice, labneh, grilled halloumi, cucumber, tomato, thyme & mini manakeech) - Our Way is Cheesy (3 scrambled eggs, tomatoes & goat cheese) - The Pancake (just yummy 3 tiny pancakes with original maple syrup).
The fine breakfast:
A delicious plate of scrambled eggs mixed with Chèvre cheeses and tomato cubes, served with fresh lettuce and toasted brown french bread. Very tasty and not oily. A mix of fresh Labneh, grilled Halloumi cheese, pealed cucumbers with an enchanting smell on a plate, along with a bowl Mankouche. Yes, mankoushe in a bowl and they are really the best mankoushe you can ever imagine tasting.
Joanna's Table serves what they call mini mankouche but I would call them micro pieces of heaven. Served in a bowl, these little bites are just enough to make you go down to Joanna's Table. Dip each with a bit of Labneh and you're in heaven.
The breakfast was completed with three pieces of pancakes, freshly home made, served with fresh maple syrup and chocolate spread.
After a good breakfast, kick off your shoes, browse through the different rooms filled with myriad originalities, and then sit back on one of the sofas, order another Cafe Latte and if there's still room in your tummy, pamper yourself with Kitsches ever popular cookies and cupcakes. Joanna's Table at Kitsch also sells fresh vegetables and packaged goods like Thyme, dried fruits, herbs and more. I can't wait to try lunch there. Expect another review soon...
