Restaurants

Beity hovers midway between a café and restaurant, aiming squarely at the middle of the market. A few tables have been placed near the glass takeaway counter at the front; at the back, the space opens into a square restaurant (with waitress service), where a roster of Lebanese meze and main courses is served in slightly antiseptic surroundings. Decor is standard for this kind of place: black marble tables, brown marble floor, orangey wood. Our meze dishes varied from excellent (a gorgeously lumpy-yet-smooth moutabal, with a smoky trace of the charcoal grill), through supremely ordinary (kallaj: a version of grilled halloumi in pitta bread that had the charisma of a slightly warm cheese sandwich), to below-par (tabouleh that was too heavy on the parsley and coarsely chopped). We were impressed with the basturma; the Beity version wasn’t sliced as thinly as you’d find in more refined places, but the smoked beef and its herb crust were a deep beetroot colour and it was wonderfully chewy and salty. Juices and sandwiches are also available.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008