Once upon a time (Last week actually), on the coast of the Mediterranean sea, where it slowly sinks… (Horsh Tabet really…) we were invited to Venezia restaurant on an event dinner for the purpose of launching their new seafood menu.
The night was sweet, few clouds, fresh air, perfect mood for a diner, When you step inside the restaurant, you are immediately warped into the last century Venice… the dim warm lights, the wooden décor, the furniture, if you listen well, you could almost hear the water outside and the gondolas passing by with a background singing “O Sole Mioooo”…
The smiles you are greeted with at the door makes you feel immediately at home and relaxed, you immediately sense a long years in the making matured “savoir faire”… The table setup was simply gorgeous, down to the smallest details…
If it was not because of a self-initiated reality check, I would have truly believed I was in Italy…
Our Table was waited by a person called Hady… at least that’s what his name tag says… The reason I am mentioning him is to give him the credit he is due: I have not been monitoring the other waiters, however Hady was an example of professionalism, discipline and serving expertise, always with a smile, always careful not to invade the guest’s breathing space, very efficient and agile. Hilton can be proud.
The food was a glorious festival, with the eyes starting to feast before the Italian aroma arrive to the nostrils or the fresh food tickles your pallet. The various salads were delicious, light and fresh, the “Tartare de Saumon” was a dish designed to gain the favor of the ancient Roman Gods, and probably would have also prevented “Dante” from making his descent to the inferno to save his “Dulcinea”…
I was however less a fan of the oven baked fish that was served to us, probably because it was presented as whole and was filled with tiny long pointy fishbone that downgraded the awesomeness factor I was hoping to experience, though admittedly it’s a personal opinion, the guests around me seemed to enjoye it… especially that Lebanese Memes guys… The Ravioli on the other hand, made me quickly forget that matter and I was back in Venice again savoring that cheese flavor… simply unforgettable.
Then came the dessert… Two desserts actually: The first one was gorgeous looking, a big ravioli filled with what I think was cinnamon paste, and it was very tasty, only the Ravioli dough was slightly undercooked and was hard to the bite. The second dessert was a very simple mango sorbet filled with crushed “Pépites de Chocolat”, it was light, refreshing and tasty and would have actually been enough and could have closed alone, what had been a near perfect diner.
Romantic atmosphere, gourmet dishes, professional staff, the organization was flawless, the farewell even warmer than the welcome… A must try, a must taste, a must experience, save your tickets to Italy and come to Venezia… Beirut, Lebanon…
Gaston Le Gondolier
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