Shahrazad Lebanese Cuisine Restaurant Review | Delish Eats
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Delish Eats: Shahrazad Lebanese Cuisine, Sharing Rich Plates and Fun

Restaurant history: Shahrazad Lebanese Cuisine opened in mid-2019 on Staunton Street, a first of Lebanese restaurants in the SoHo area. Hidden within a grey multistorey building, the waft of honeyed fragrance upon entering the restaurant hauls you to a land of spice and aroma, and more importantly, conjures up the romance of the Middle East.

Chef story: The upscale SoHo eatery, priced accordingly but designed for sharing, is headed by Chef Bachir, who hails originally from Syrian-Lebanese origin. IHe imports to SoHo a wealth of F&B experience working in Lebanon, Dubai, and Iraq.

Restaurant history: Shahrazad Lebanese Cuisine opened in mid-2019 on Staunton Street, a first of Lebanese restaurants in the SoHo area. Hidden within a grey multistorey building, the waft of honeyed fragrance upon entering the restaurant hauls you to a land of spice and aroma, and more importantly, conjures up the romance of the Middle East.

Chef story: The upscale SoHo eatery, priced accordingly but designed for sharing, is headed by Chef Bachir, who hails originally from Syrian-Lebanese origin. IHe imports to SoHo a wealth of F&B experience working in Lebanon, Dubai, and Iraq.

What’s the vibe and venue like: Powerfully aromatic, and colourful but understated. Blue is the theme of the restaurant, which dazzles around on chairs, logos, and walls. Dim orange lighting is set up above each table to highlight dishes and make a dining experience comfortable for all parties. Make a visit for intimate celebrations, not loud gatherings.

Delish Eats: Shahrazad Lebanese Cuisine, Sharing Rich Plates and Fun

How much does it cost: HK$1343 for a salad, one cold mezze and two hot mezze appetisers, one grill plate, and two desserts.

What is the menu about: Shahrazad’s a la carte menus focuses on hearty Lebanese-meets-Middle Eastern-inspired salads, hot and cold mezze selections, warm tagines and curried mains, and grills. It is suggested to order and share all accordingly.

What did we order: Tabouleh, Mix Cold Mezze (Hummus/Mutable/Muhammara), Roasted Eggplant, Halloumi Watermelon, Shahrazad Mix Grill Meat (Small), Creamy Rice Pudding, and Pistachio Baklava with ice cream.

Tabouleh

Tabouleh: A good start for the meal to cleanse the palate and introduce diners to the sweet and tangy flavours at play, with the bitterness of the parsley matching the sour-sweet tone of the molasses drizzle and pomegranate. To elevate the dish, I would like a crunch from crumbled baked pita, for instance, to play with texture.

Mix Cold Mezze

Mix Cold Mezze: With warm pita, each mezze platter was increasingly better than the other. The smoky aroma of the red pepper puree in the Muhammara is saliva-inducing, whilst the eggplant and pomegranate mix of the Mutable teases the tongue, begging for more. The hummus hosts the right portion of garlic – yummy!

Roasted Eggplant

Roasted Eggplant: Whilst each element of this dish works well together – the roast of the eggplant, nutty tahini, earthy beetroot, and parsley garlic puree – an addition of crunch texture would help, alongside pita to soak up the oozing, tangy juices.

Shahrazad Mix Grill Meat

Shahrazad Mix Grill Meat: The combination of lamb kofta, shish tawook, lamb skewers, and beef skewer all made for a wonderful tasting of all meats on offer. Pair it with the in-house garlic toum and experience a careful balance of salt and cutting acidity.

Creamy Rice Pudding

Creamy Rice Pudding: A perfect end to the dinner and possibly the best rice pudding I’ve ingested in my times. Warm, nutty, effortlessly creamy, possessing a rich coconut flavour, and soft to bite with long grain rice.

What we liked: Every dish balances a fusion of tangy sweetness and earthy savoury flavour, bringing us back for more forkfuls and orders. I love the cosy atmosphere and vibe, a rarity in Hong Kong’s food scene that brings you to another world to dine.

What we didn’t like: In comparison to the other dishes we ordered, the Halloumi Watermelon ranked poorly for the price of HK$158, serving only four pieces of watermelon and lightly fried halloumi bites. The taste was good for the halloumi, but not worth the price.

What you should order: Mix Cold Mezze, Shish Tawook, Roasted Eggplant, Hummus Awarma, Mix Grill Meat, and Swdat Djag.

Location: Shahrazad, 2/F, Carfield Commercial Building, 75-77 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong

Contact details: +852 2330 0242

This food review is based on a complimentary media tasting provided by Shahrazad Lebanese Dining Lounge & Bar and Chess House Group in exchange for a truthful review and no compensation. The opinions expressed within represent the views of the author.


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