Oceanus, a seafood distributor that has a restaurant in the heart of Achrafieh next to Boubouffe and Sushi Circle. An old restaurant, paper placemats found at American diners, tight space with a varied menu of seafood and fish specialties.
So, let’s play! Open the menu to a challenge... spot the differences between the menu of 2015 and the menu of 2016! So I started playing. Inside a red leather menu, find two leaflets. On the upper one, printed in 2015, read about starters, hot starters, salads, hot plates, grills, and clubs. Old style design, paper only, stock images taken from google and a load of text you barely can read.
In 2016, the menu was upgraded! They got a photographer; text got even smaller, photos are so small you can barely see their content. Papers are glossy with reflections coming from all sides. It seems time stopped back then.
Back to the restaurant; a family owned restaurant where the owner and the family walk around the kitchen and the seating area in and out. A low ceiling, dark corners, and too much noise. Choose to have the plat-Du-jour or order from the menu.
Perrier, a small bottle of Perrier; no San Pellegrino and no big bottles. I ordered and waited to be served. And here comes the “Bzourat”! Yes, nuts at a sushi place; how innovative is this.
Lunch:
- Nicely presented on a bed of carrots in a blue plate; A Salmon salad made of salmon cubes, thick heavy-bodied salmon cubes that have an unpleasant texture under the teeth. Served with avocados, they are not ripe enough and unpleasantly watery. Not the salmon quality for a sushi place, too hard to be raw but can be considered good for a smoked salmon.
I like the plates, round and colored plates decorated with carrots and cucumbers. They do not use green plastic sheets at Oceanus and no wood.
The rolls;
- A flavor of unpleasant sweetness kicks everywhere. Literally sweet! Aromas and taste of sugar. Is it the rice vinegar or simply sugar added to the recipe?
- Moist and watery rice but crispy crisps.
- Carrots used as a decorative item stick to the sushi ending under your teeth; you crunch carrots when they have no place with the rolls.
- Sticky and chewy rice; how unpleasant!
- Crab sticks are probably the cheapest quality I’ve tasted.
- Salmon skin feels like gum.
Conclusion: expected better!
