“No, honestly, you have no idea. It’s been horrible without you guys,” said random hilarious girl on the bar.
“Halla2 bala drama. Bass shil el mazi7, walla shta2nelkon,” replied a young gent who presumably is her boyfriend.
“I can’t remember the last time I was this happy. It’s just…it’s good to be back.”
“Roo2i ya benet.”
Such were the conversations at MYU last Saturday night on its opening weekend. The scene was incredible, bordering on the comical; while girls gave unsolicited hugs to bartenders, men opted for the more conservative handshake and the occasional fist pump. Although they most likely have been seeing each other at Skybar, at Decks, or in Mar Mikhael all summer, at MYU, the regular clientele are friendlier to each other, smiling, saying hello, and making small talk. You’d be hard-pressed to find a single person on a coveted seat at the bar that didn’t express his/her sheer and utter happiness at having MYU back in their lives. It’s not that no other bars in Beirut are fun, that would be an unfair assessment of this social phenomenon, but MYU has a certain je ne sais quoi that makes it very special. It enjoys a cult following for a reason: the drinks are good, the food is great, and ever since the smoking ban was enforced, the atmosphere is absolutely unrivalled. MYU is our generation’s version of Cheers. Now all we need is a killer theme song.
Your MYU experience always starts with the spiced “cricri” nuts piled in small shallow white bowls. While some people don’t like them, they’re my kryptonite so I always ask the bartender to take them away before I consume thousands of useless calories in sugarcoated nut form. For those unmoved by widening waistlines and peanut-smelling breath, by all means go to town with them. While snacking, I suggest you order a cocktail. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a strictly wine/Vodka Perrier girl so I don’t venture deep into the cocktail world but I hear the bartenders can make a mean cocktail. Unlike most places in and around Gemmayze, MYU offers a substantial variation of red and white, local and foreign, sweet and dry, light and full-bodied wine and the bartenders give sound advice to wine novices.
Grilled Calamari
Crafted by owner cum executive chef Joe Mourani, the menu serves an eclectic mix of dishes to satisfy all diners; from those looking for a light bar bite to those looking to go all out with a filet or pasta drenched in cream sauce. The menu offers bar favorites from all over the world like shrimp dumplings, edamame, bruschetta, and even msakhan rolls. Salads and appetizers are a happy medium. More substantial than the bar bites but lighter than the main dishes, these choices will fill you up without you having to loosen a couple notches on your belt. Good choices are the grilled calamari, salmon duo, Chinese salad, goat’s cheese salad, and the beef carpaccio. Served with a medley of grilled vegetables and topped with a sweet balsamic glaze, the grilled calamari is simple and satisfying. Always fresh and never rubbery, the mini rings of squid meat and tiny tentacles are chargrilled to add smokiness to an already well rounded dish. The salmon duo consists of salmon tartar and salmon sashimi. The salmon tartar is your regular diced raw salmon concoction mixed with lemon, chives, and topped with lightly toasted sesame seeds while the salmon sashimi is thinly sliced salmon marinated and served in light soy dressing.
The Chinese salad is my favorite. A wonderful mix of shredded lettuce, julienned carrots, sliced apples, green beans, beets, and zucchini in a light ginger soy dressing, the salad is light, fresh, sweet, sour, and savory all at once. For a salad that’s a little richer, try the goat’s cheese. Reminiscent of “ra2a2at bi jibne”, two deep-fried goat’s cheese rolls sit atop a generous bed of frisée lettuce tossed in sweet balsamic dressing. Just in case you still haven’t gotten your goat’s cheese fix, two mini tartines made of phyllo dough layered with creamy goat’s cheese, tomate confite, and a tiny salad of pesto zucchini sit alongside the bed of lettuce. The dough is quite hard to cut into but once you do, your mouth rejoices. Sweetness from the tomato, rich creaminess from the goat’s cheese, and deep savoriness from the pesto zucchini all work together to create a burst of flavor on your tongue.
Filet with Dauphinoise potatoes
As for the mains, I suggest the filet, the mérou, or the pates aux cèpes. Both the filet and the fish are standard pieces of meat, but cooked simply and with integrity. Grilled just the way you like it, I’ve never ordered a piece of meat or fish at MYU and found it either under or overcooked. It won’t be the most succulent rendition you will ever taste, but it will most certainly be consistently yummy. For fans of pasta in cream-based sauces however, the pates aux cèpes is a no-brainer. Tagliatelle tossed in a decadently rich white sauce and flavored with the natural umami of cèpes mushrooms, this pasta is seriously flavorful and super satisfying. So much so in fact that you may not have any more room in your system for even alcohol after you clean your plate. Put your coat on and grab your purse because once you’ve had that last bite, pull an Al Bundy, unbutton your jeans and call it a night.
While summer may be coming to a close and the world may seem that much more bleak, there is a silver lining to September’s arrival. As the season changes, the sun sets sooner, the weather gets cooler, and the expats leave in droves; MYU reopens its doors. So while others may lament the loss of yet another summer, people who know better don’t. For those wise few, three months is clearly just too long to be without. Welcome back MYU, we’ve missed you.
MYU, Gouraud Street, Gemmayze, 03-334476
Worth a Taste 