Finding Foie Gras
I discovered foie gras when I was in my mid-20s in a posh restaurant in Metro Manila. Since that moment, I would always look for foie gras in the menu whether I am in Dubai, Los Angeles or France. So below is a review of my foie gras dining experience at Qbara restaurant last weekend… When I arrived, I reviewed the menu and I was like a kid in a candy store because I was amazed at the unique creations. I must say it is far from the usual menu one usually finds in similar places (typical Italian, trying-hard French or inedible Japanese).
I decided to go for the quinoa salad with pomegranate dressing to start. The, I got excited when i saw foie gras was on the menu! I just came back from the South of France the week before and for some reason, in all the restaurants I went to, all the foie gras available were in terrine form (disclaimer: i am NOT an expert on french cuisine nor do i speak french) so I was really looking forward to ordering this dish especially because according to the menu, the foie gras is cooked with sumac (I love sumac too!)
I also ordered a glass of their house wine (white) which was superb. The quinoa salad followed, and it was perfect. The texture was just right and the balance of the flavours was just spot on. The foie gras was divine. I will repeat, DIVINE. I actually offered a short prayer of gratitude that I’ve found my new favorite dish.
What I did NOT like
OVERALL
I was actually clueless on what to expect at Qbara as the person who told me about it just said that they have “great” food. I was not even sure what type of cuisine is on offer. When I opened the menu, my first thought was ‘Lebanese fusion’ but now, looking back, I have to probably classify it (in my opinion) as contemporary dishes using Mediterranean- Lebanese flavours.
The AMBIANCE
Amazing ambiance, the music is lounge-y but mixed with a more upbeat vibe – not too loud so conversations are possible. There was also a musician (trumpet or saxophone, not sure) when I was there and a very cool Video Wall that you can watch and look at. Smoking is allowed inside but if you are a non-smoker you will not mind at all because of the massive space and high ceilings, there’s no danger for you to smell like an ashtray.
Never go WITHOUT a booking or risk eating your AMAZING food in a hurry. The night I went there, I was not really planning on going but since I was waiting for a friend in the WAFI area, I came across the place and since i was dressed up anyway, I decided to try it out. I was there early, around 9 PM, entered and picked a nice two-seater table on the 1st floor. After I ordered my wine and my food, one staff insisted I had to transfer to the bar because all the tables are booked. I was surprised because when I came in, the place was half-empty. It was of course stupid of me to assume. Anyway, I explained to the lady that I just ordered my food and as I am dining alone, I am not comfortable to eat in the bar (noooo...my lovely foie gras sitting on a bar stool?!) . She then said all her guests are coming in 30 minutes to 1 hour which actually relieved me because I said, it won’t take me half an hour to eat so if she could let me finish my dinner then I’ll gladly leave. I was speechless when she answered “NO you have to transfer NOW, I’m sorry” which I thought was unnecessarily unreasonable. In the middle of her talking, the quinoa salad arrived and then she just sighed and told me “well okay just stay there for now and eat” and just rudely left. Good thing, all the waiters were so polite and nice which appeased me a bit. So there you go…I ate my food faster than usual (and my friends can attest I am a fast eater, I don’t chew!) paid my bill and left, and for the record, there were still unoccupied tables beside me when I left .
I will definitely come back and eat here again to try out the other dishes. I applaud the chefs for coming up with creative concepts that actually taste good and infused with flavours familiar to the region. I made a decision not to let one annoying staff keep me away from this foodie heaven, but one thing’s for sure , I will never go there again WITHOUT a booking.
I decided to go for the quinoa salad with pomegranate dressing to start. The, I got excited when i saw foie gras was on the menu! I just came back from the South of France the week before and for some reason, in all the restaurants I went to, all the foie gras available were in terrine form (disclaimer: i am NOT an expert on french cuisine nor do i speak french) so I was really looking forward to ordering this dish especially because according to the menu, the foie gras is cooked with sumac (I love sumac too!)
I also ordered a glass of their house wine (white) which was superb. The quinoa salad followed, and it was perfect. The texture was just right and the balance of the flavours was just spot on. The foie gras was divine. I will repeat, DIVINE. I actually offered a short prayer of gratitude that I’ve found my new favorite dish.
What I did NOT like
OVERALL
I was actually clueless on what to expect at Qbara as the person who told me about it just said that they have “great” food. I was not even sure what type of cuisine is on offer. When I opened the menu, my first thought was ‘Lebanese fusion’ but now, looking back, I have to probably classify it (in my opinion) as contemporary dishes using Mediterranean- Lebanese flavours.
The AMBIANCE
Amazing ambiance, the music is lounge-y but mixed with a more upbeat vibe – not too loud so conversations are possible. There was also a musician (trumpet or saxophone, not sure) when I was there and a very cool Video Wall that you can watch and look at. Smoking is allowed inside but if you are a non-smoker you will not mind at all because of the massive space and high ceilings, there’s no danger for you to smell like an ashtray.
Never go WITHOUT a booking or risk eating your AMAZING food in a hurry. The night I went there, I was not really planning on going but since I was waiting for a friend in the WAFI area, I came across the place and since i was dressed up anyway, I decided to try it out. I was there early, around 9 PM, entered and picked a nice two-seater table on the 1st floor. After I ordered my wine and my food, one staff insisted I had to transfer to the bar because all the tables are booked. I was surprised because when I came in, the place was half-empty. It was of course stupid of me to assume. Anyway, I explained to the lady that I just ordered my food and as I am dining alone, I am not comfortable to eat in the bar (noooo...my lovely foie gras sitting on a bar stool?!) . She then said all her guests are coming in 30 minutes to 1 hour which actually relieved me because I said, it won’t take me half an hour to eat so if she could let me finish my dinner then I’ll gladly leave. I was speechless when she answered “NO you have to transfer NOW, I’m sorry” which I thought was unnecessarily unreasonable. In the middle of her talking, the quinoa salad arrived and then she just sighed and told me “well okay just stay there for now and eat” and just rudely left. Good thing, all the waiters were so polite and nice which appeased me a bit. So there you go…I ate my food faster than usual (and my friends can attest I am a fast eater, I don’t chew!) paid my bill and left, and for the record, there were still unoccupied tables beside me when I left .
I will definitely come back and eat here again to try out the other dishes. I applaud the chefs for coming up with creative concepts that actually taste good and infused with flavours familiar to the region. I made a decision not to let one annoying staff keep me away from this foodie heaven, but one thing’s for sure , I will never go there again WITHOUT a booking.
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