Sheikh it Off

The caricature of a joyful looking sheikh invites you into Lebanese restaurant Bistro Grill’s newest outlet in the city, which is split into two spaces – a non-smoking bar area and a hookah section that is surprisingly neither swamped with college kids nor dim-lit and swathed in curtains.
In fact, the décor here is completely devoid of any clichéd Arabic motifs (no desert paintings on the wall or camels in the closet), the interiors dominated instead by a generic mix of wood, wrought iron and golden-pink upholstery.

Hum (mus) Along

Since the menu features no interesting drinks – alcoholic or otherwise - we made a direct beeline for the food, kicking off our meal with hummus topped with minced chicken, and by far the yummiest pita bread we have eaten in the city. Stick with this instead of the Manakeesh Zattar, pita’s fancy cousin which boasts Arabic herbs and olive oil, but that we didn’t love. Order also the chicken Musshab, another plain-looking dish of grilled chicken slices marinated in herbs, which has just the right amount of meat, spices and sauce.

Skipping over shwarma and an inexplicable pizza section – really, where did that come from?! – we tried instead Zuben Ablama, cottage cheese in delish, tangy Lebanese sauce. Add to this a side of white rice for a hearty meal. Sorely missed was Bahmiya Saluna, lady fingers bathed in an Egyptian sauce, which the kitchen wasn’t serving the evening we visited.

The Dessert of Arabia

The idea of milkshakes loaded with fruit, whipped cream and ice-cream sounded like too much after the meal we had just packed in so we almost skipped over dessert, but that was before the manger informed us that they serve baklava (not on the menu). Yay-men!

Getting there: Hotel Bawa Continental, opposite Theosophical Society, Juhu Tara Road, Juhu, call 26163636, Rs 1,600 for a meal for two without alcohol.

bpb reviews restaurants anonymously and pays for its own meals.