A hidden gem serving excellent Lebanese fare – Baydar

Staying in Dubai means you’re always going to run into a Lebanese restaurant every now and then. They’re everywhere, around every corner – from shopping malls and streets to dedicated restaurant districts. This makes it quite challenging to cut through the clutter and find one of the few gems that offers the best in Lebanese cuisine. And last evening we found one.

Baydar, a hidden gem in every sense, has been around for about five years but hasn’t got the praise and recognition it quite deserves. So when we were invited to drop by at Barsha Mall and experience some of Baydar’s mezzeh, grills and drinks, we knew there’ll definitely be a lot to look forward to.

Find out more about the traditional classics and contemporary new menu items we tried at Baydar as you read this post.

Drinks

You know how there’s always those pretty layered drinks you look at in menu cards but never really get to the point where you would order it and give it a try.
Well, I decided to take that leap! This fruit cocktail drink was probably one of the best decisions of my dinner at Baydar. I’m not saying the food was not at par. It definitely was. But knowing the person I am, I would probably just opt for a fresh orange or watermelon juice to go along with Lebanese food (which we did anyway :P), and trying out something this cool would have not occurred to me otherwise.

This fresh fruit cocktail starts with a base of strawberry juice that contains pieces of banana, strawberry and kiwi. It is then layered with avocado cream and fresh mango puree, and topped with a scoop of chilled vanilla ice cream and almonds.

You should really give this one a try if you like trying something out of the box. It won’t fill you up, but will instead give you a fruit salad experience in a glass!

Breads & Starters

Have you seen bread more fresh and fluffier than this? I’m guessing that occurrence must be quite rare.

One thing that always disappoints me is being served stale, hard to break, stone cold and typical triangular pieces of khubz that don’t really match up with the fresh hummus and moutabal on the side. But Baydar does it differently. This bread basket is made fresh to order and comes with soft, fluffy and warm pieces of pita. There are a few sesame crusted breadsticks too, that are equally fresh.

I can’t possibly explain the joy of having these with hummus. Let’s just say, I’m going back just for this combination.

Cold Mezzeh

Cold mezzeh couldn’t get any cooler than this. From the creamy hummus and moutabal, to the fresh fattoush and tabouleh, all these cold mezzeh dishes bring out their own unique flavor. Being a hummus and fattoush lover also makes you really picky about seeking for perfection, and trying to find out what’s different in this that sets it apart from the rest.

The fattoush at Baydar deserves a special mention here. I simply loved how it was generously dusted with sumac. For me, sumac is like the Lebanese version of the Indian chaat masala. Adding sumac not only enhances the flavors but does so without adding any calories or guilt.

And the pomegranate seeds! I love how they bring about a tartiness to the salad.

I would definitely recommend you try the hummus and fattoush here. I’m not a very big fan of moutabal or tabouleh, but those were quite good, and I did actually end up eating a lot of the tabouleh. The cold mezzeh, in my opinion, maintained their classic flavors and freshness which makes them perfect.

Hot Mezzeh

Just like the cold mezzeh couldn’t get any cooler, this hot mezzeh selection was absolutely hot. Highlighting some of their new menu items and some of my personal favorites, this was definitely a treat.

Batata Harra, like always, made it to the top of my list. Then there were the chicken livers with molasses that were licked clean off the plate. The new items – Makanek and Sujuk made quite a mark. The Makanek although a little dry, was quite tender, and the addition of molasses made it perfect. The Sujuk was amazing. With its tomato gravy, enriched with capsicum, this was quite a treat.

Which one would you try?

Grills

What grills around, comes around!
Nothing gets better than Lebanese mixed grills, so trying these out was quite a necessity.

My love for mixed grills stems from my love for variety. Having a little of everything that gives you an insight into the entire menu makes it quite a prized dish. Featuring succulent meats in the form of kofta kebab, shish kebab, shish tawouk and arayes, the mixed grill is definitely a must try. The kebabs are grilled to a tender perfection and spiced just right. Plus they’re made fresh with meat that is marinated overnight making sure all the spices seep through. My favorite from this platter was without a doubt, shish tawouk. Being a chicken lover, this one ticked all the boxes in terms of flavor, taste and texture.

Don’t miss that lovely scoop of garlic sauce and steak cut fries on the side. I could never imagine my grills without fries!
The next one on the grills list was lamb chops. This came highly recommended, so despite being absolutely stuffed, we decided to give this a try. The lamb chops were simply amazing. Perfectly crusted on the edges and glazed to give off a shine, these were over in no time!

Which one would you order?

Milkshakes

How about swapping desserts for milkshakes? Why not!

I don’t regret a single minute of devouring these at Baydar. We tried the classic flavors of Vanilla, Strawberry and Chocolate. These tall glasses pack in tons of flavor and creaminess, thanks to the rich ingredients and tons of whipped cream on top. My favorite was the chocolate one, because I prefer chocolate over vanilla or strawberry. But the vanilla one wasn’t bad. In fact brought back some lovely nostalgia with its homely taste.

Which flavor would you choose?

Baydar

Location: Food Court, Level 1, Al Barsha Mall, Barsha 2, Dubai
Contact: 04 3850144