Society Wine Bar, located in Saifi Suits Boutique Hotel, is one of the most popular spots in Beirut City. The area is lavish, the hotel is beautiful and modern and the Society, both the wine lounge and bistro, are even more glamorous. It was a beautiful sunny day in Beirut and my friends and I decided to have lunch on the terrace of the Society Wine Lounge.
The minute you reach you feel you're in a place far away from Beirut's hustle and loud horns. You are welcomed into a bistro and wine lounge, located on two side entrances of the hotel. Each has its own menu, trendy decor with an unmistakably elegant twist guests enjoy.
Before ordering, I couldn't but admire the beautifully designed interior of the lounge. The ceiling looks like floating modern clouds, art work on the walls, big leather red sofas, a bookshelf ... are but a few of the things that make this place feel like a beautiful salon in your home. Of course the details are more intense than what you would see in your home... bubbly small lights add luxury and uniqueness to the setup. Although the space boasts a lot of details, you feel that the room is still free - airy and spacious.
The first thing you see is the bar and the large number of wine bottles available. We sat outside on the terrace. Leather red place-mats where placed in front of us with a cloth napkin rolled into a silver napkin holder. Our waiter handed us a leather menu with the name Society stylishly written on it. Before ordering, our waiter served with a selection of french baguettes. Butter is served neatly in a small bowl. It looks so fresh.
We ordered:
- Foie Gras, accompagne de Confiture de Sauternes et de Figues. I love Foie Gras - this was one of the best I have ever had in my life. Beautifully presented, this specialty dish is not to be missed. It melts the minute it steps into your mouth. Add some fig to each piece, close your eyes and enjoy the intense tense.
- Plateau de Fromage du Jour. You often underestimate cheese, well some of us do. Today's cheese choice was Kashkaval. My goodness, I could not stop eating them. Presented in small cubes, each piece is heavenly.
- Saumon Fume, Sauce Gravlax, Accompagne de Capres. This plate is neat, fresh, simple and tastes just right, nothing exceptionally wow.
- Trio de Tartares de Poisson. Three kinds of seafood presented in a long dish, each mixed with herbs and spices. The three fish include Tuna, Salmon and Meru. Very tasty, although here I would advise they lessen the spices just so they give each its significant taste. With the spices, all tasted the same at the end.
- Steak Tartare, Accompagne de Pommes Frites: Wow. I rarely like Steak Tartare, but this is something to try. It comes with a bowl of French fries.
I called the waiter just to tell him to tell the chef that the food was exceptionally good. But unfortunately I could not say the same about the dessert.
Dessert we ordered:
- Piece Montee de Profiteroles, Sauce Chocolat. It looks amazing, a mountain of small pieces of profiteroles covered with glazed caramel. Chocolate is served on the side. Just drop some melted chocolate on top and munch on... Here I was a bit disappointed. There was hardly any creme inside the profiteroles. It was very dry, chewy and the only thing I could taste was the caramel. I was sad, as I thought I was going to taste something as good as it looks...
- Tiramisu Maison, Glass au Chocolat. Tiramisu is my favourite dessert. This was not tiramisu for sure. It was a dry sponge cake with a hint of coffee taste.
Sadly, their pastry chef should be reconsidered. Sometimes, just serving classic desserts is best - as when chefs try too much, the taste is lost in the process.
I told the waiter again about this point. He nodded nicely and said he will let the management know.
Overall it was a nice lunch. We enjoyed good food while chatting and watching stylish Lebanese people walk into this 'now' popular spot in Beirut.
