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Samket Gergy el Day3a or the Fish of Georges from the Village is a place which became known through an article posted in the Middle East Airline magazine, Cedars Wings, or at least it was for me. A restaurant down in Anfeh by the shore, where Georges, his wife Nadia and their kids welcome their guests in a casual atmosphere.
By the salt factory, next to Marina del Sol on the seaside road down in Anfeh, the restaurant cannot be missed. Next to the highway, a blue house with glass facade marks George's restaurant. We were welcomed by two employees, youngsters handling the place. One took us immediately to the fish area to choose our lunch while the other followed us with a notebook in hand for the order.
The choices are simple: choose your fish, add hummos and a salad, some French fries and maybe some fish specialties of the day and here you are awaiting to be served.
I asked for the menu just to have an idea, a blue booklet with a choice of three salads and the choices of seafood -fried, grilled or raw- and that's it.
The place is a simple restaurant that looks like an old house up in the mountains. Tiles imitating wood parquet, glass facades offering a view of the surrounding, old used wooden tables, a TV screen showing Georges' catch and adventures, all of that in a white looking space that's dull, but who cares, we're here for the food.
Plastic chairs, outdoor heaters for indoor use, white ceiling... The place is really funny. Take a walk along the wall of fame; pictures of Georges and his big catches, hundreds of kilos of fish, large sized beasts rarely found in the Mediterranean.
- Lunch started with fried calamari panné which I found neat, not chewy, oil-free, but dull. Add some cocktail sauce to enjoy them or maybe some lemon juice and sea salt.
- Squid in their ink followed, juicy and full of taste with a lemon touch. Eat them as is, no bread needed.
- Raw fish is always on the menu, fish caught by Georges himself, as well as raw scallops.
- The Gergy salad is something the place is known for; lettuce, red cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, Roma lettuce and sumac. Fresh, crisp and tasty.
- I didn't like the hummos. Too much garlic, too much tahina, too firm and the olive oil is not the best I've had. Its texture and color speak for itself.
- The fries look homemade, but it didn't feel like it. I expected better; they're raw on the inside, chewy on the outside and tasted of fried oil.
- The very good thing, that makes all the difference, is the fried fish, crisp and oil-free, fresh juicy fish that doesn't need any lemon or additives. I loved eating these with my hands, devouring it with passion.
- Now for the grilled fish. I believe is not grilled but oven cooked. Soggy fish served bathing in an oily juice that's unsalted and dull in flavor. Adding olive oil, lemon and some salt wasn't enough to make the experience better: Deception!
The bad:
- The service is rudimentary
- Didn't like the Arak
- No one asked to help with cutting and preparing the fish
- The toilets are very dirty and the floor slippery
- The food is very average in my opinion, lacking flavor, love, passion and the homemade feel I expected
- The plates were changed when I asked, but not the cutlery
- You feel oil in everything and it doesn't look fresh
- We ordered shrimps and were charged for them but those were not served
The good:
- A reasonable price tag of $40/person which is good for a fish restaurant
It was a Friday, the place was almost fully booked; it seems people love it here some of the car license plates came from Saida.
I'm sorry, but I still don't understand the fuss behind this place. The decor is rudimentary, the service is nonexistent, the food is less than average, and I left hungry. If the experience is all about meeting Gergy, unfortunately for me, he was not here nor his sons today... We asked and were told that he is busy drinking.
Anfeh seaside road +9613127693
