Al Qasr

Al Qasr – 46 Lorong Mambong, Holland Village

Always on the lookout for things that intrigue and inspire the palate, I headed down to Al Qasr for Lebanese food; a cuisine I had yet to try. I found this alfresco corner shop a laidback place with enticingly exotic food. My party of two racked up a mere $71.90 for a multi course meal with wine for one.

I started off with a glass of Ksara ($12), a wine imported from Lebanon. Subtly sweet with a rich tannic finish, it had an amazing mix of plum and cherry notes as well as delicate accents of cinnamon and clove.

The Amuse Bouche was a plate of assorted pickles crafted to tease as well serve as palate cleansers later in the meal. All generously salty, the peppers were delightfully spicy while the brine-pickled olives had a lovely bitter tang that made them clearly distinct from those encountered in Italian cuisine.

The Set Lunches ($15) here are a godsend for curious foodies on a budget. They start you off with a lightly spiced Lentil Soup that was wonderfully smooth and creamy. The lemon wedges are not just for aesthetics as a hesitant spritz totally transformed my soup, giving it life with a vibrant citrus kick.

This was followed by a trio of starters which gave a good sketch of Middle-Eastern finger food. Tabbuoleh is a light and herby salad of parsley, burghul wheat, tomatoes, onions, mint, lemon juice and olive oil. I adored the Falafel; crisp, moist and bursting with a robust nuttiness. However, the Hummus was what tied it all together as the creamy, tangy universal dip of chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice and olive oil.

My dining partner opted for the Lamb Kebabs which came with sizable chops as well. Very compact, the kebabs had excellent bite but could've had a more liberal use of spice. The lamb chop fared far better with a relatively subtle lamb flavour couched in smoky char and floral herbs.

I explored the other option of Chicken Kebabs and was pleasantly surprised. The kebabs themselves shattered my preconceived notion of typically dry, bland rotisserie-cooked chicken. I was bowled over by the generous use of cumin and coriander which lent the usually unexciting meat character and finesse. The juicy chicken chunks in a creamy yoghurt-based marinade were even better. A small wedge of pita served as the balancing factor, stuffed with a deliciously piquant and spicy chilli-onion relish.

The description of Kebbeh Nayeh ($15) had me intrigued - raw, fresh lamb meat with burghul wheat, mint, spices, garlic, mayonnaise and extra virgin olive oil. I count beef Carpaccio as one of my favourites and therefore had high hopes for another raw dish, but that was not to be. Definitely an acquired taste, a strong ovine flavour pervades it. Not resembling meat at all, the thick, grey meat-gruel was lumpy and mealy in equal parts.

Every set came with a small Maamool for dessert, a melt-in-your-mouth butter cookie with traces of nuts and spice.

As my sweet tooth was still unsatisfied, I ordered an Umali ($5) which turned out to be a pleasantly soggier version of bread and butter pudding. Apparently it is composed of puff pastry, milk, cream, nuts and desiccated coconut; the last of which accorded wonderful flavour and texture.