My recent dinner at Marouche Grill was the fourth time I had been to the same location for dinner, yet the first time for dinner at Marouche. The previous two restaurants (two restaurants, three chefs) had closed soon after opening despite the food being good and I had begun to think the spot suffered from bad Feng Shui. Thankfully, two months after opening Marouche is still in business and bustling on the midweek night we visited.

The restaurant serves Lebanese cuisine, a cuisine that I love for its flavour variety and mezze-style eating. At Marouche, the classics are all represented, yet there are also some individual touches to dishes.

Mixed Mezze

Our mezze choices were Hommos Beiruty, Wark Inab B'zeit (stuffed vine leaves), Grilled Haloumi, and the highly recommended Chicken Liver. We were told that normally one appetiser and one main is enough, but as fans of small plates we focused on those dishes, going on to order a salad and one main course.

The creamy hummus consisted of the traditional ingredients of chick peas, tahine and lemon juice, with the addition of finely chopped parsley and cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper packed quite a zing. At first we really enjoyed this departure from the traditional, but after a while we found the lingering heat to be continually overpowering, which resulted in the dish being somewhat one dimensional at the end.

The vine leaves were stuffed with rice, tomato, parsley, mint, and onion, cooked in lemon juice and olive oil. While enjoyable to eat, with a lingering lemon tartness and an increasing richness the more you ate, there was no textural contrast. For us it was all a bit mushy with no bite. 

Grilled haloumi is often served with cucumber, but in this case it was paired with watermelon. The watermelon not only provides contrasting texture but it adds a sweetness that balances  and softens the saltiness of the cheese. On first bite it might seem odd, but take a second. The interesting thing was that in the mouth the sweet liquid from the melon combines with the dairy-ness of the cheese, resulting in an unexpected creamy mouth feel. 

The chicken livers had been marinated and pan-fried with lemon and butter. I ordered this dish because it had been recommended by one of the restaurant's managing partners, and because my dining companion is rediscovering the joys of meat after being vegetarian for many years and wanted to see if he liked chicken liver as much as he loves foie gras. For the record he doesn't. I am not sure I do either. I am sure if I did, I would have glowing things to say about the dish as it had been lovingly cooked, and was homey and flavourful.

Meaty Goodness

We had also ordered the Tomato and Onion Salad with Rocket Leaves. Having eaten lunch at Marouche previously I had already tried the classic Lebanese salads of Fattoush, and Tabbouleh so wanted to try something different. 

The salad consisted of tomato wedges, sliced onion, finely chopped parsley, rocket leaves, and dried mint, with a lemon juice and olive oil dressing, garnished with frisee and a sprinkle of sumac. The tomatoes let the salad down, which had real potential. My guess is that they were local tomatoes, which with no taste serve a role as a textural vehicle only, and in salad with tomato as the focus not the best choice. The dried mint was the saving grace as it gave the salad an unexpected dimension and I wished there had been more of it.

When deciding which main to order we had been tempted by the seafood dishes, but went for the classic Mixed Grill. This consisted of one each of the following skewers, which can be ordered as separate mains: Lahmi Meshwi, charcoal grilled cubes of specially prepared beef; Shish Taouk, charcoal grilled marinated chicken cubes; and Kafta Meshwi, charcoal grilled seasoned minced lamb with onion and parsley. The mixed grill comes with or without garlic sauce, and a small serve of spring vegetables and salad garnish.

This dish is meat lovers heaven. The intensely garlicky sauce, basically pureed garlic, pairs well with the chicken, which was uber tender. The beef was a little overdone for our tastes, but the hints of herbs and spice gave it depth. The lamb was our favourite, excellent flavour and the hints of what made up the seasoning kept us guessing. 

More Discoveries Await

For dessert we had the Baklawa, which consisted of a variety of miniature traditional Lebanese pastries filled with nuts and syrup. We enjoyed the selection for its variety and for the fact that they were not drowned in syrup and therefore were not too sweet. 

Marouche's menu represents all the dishes one would expect to eat if dining in Lebanon, and in my experience the flavours are authentic. I like also that the restaurant is putting its own stamp on dishes. If I was in the area (I live in the New Territories) and was craving Lebanese cuisine I would certainly go back to try the numerous mezze and other mains that I am yet to sample. I am sure there is a discovery as good as the haloumi to be had.

Ambience, Service, Price

The ambience is that of a bustling contemporary restaurant, lively, but at times noisy. The traditional style light fittings and shisa pipes add to the ambience. The restaurant seats 30 diners and there is also a Chef's Table located at the back of the room that seats six. Upstairs, The Terrace accommodates up to 16 people, while The Shisha Room offers an intimate space for after dinner shisa smoking or private occasions for up to 16.

The service was efficient and friendly, although some staff seemed better trained than others, and there was some confusion regarding the order the dishes arrived. The tables for two are a little on the small side, and it was difficult to get all our mezze on the table at the same time. 

Prices for mezze range from $70-95 each, salads $65-85, and mains $148-225, with desserts all $65. I was surprised that there was no mixed mezze option on the menu. I am sure that it is available if you ask, but I would have like to seen an option that allowed me to have a mini serving of a selection of mezze dishes so that I could have tried more choices. There is a reasonable wine list, including a selection of Lebanese wines, we enjoyed a bottle of the Chateau Ksara, Sunset Rosé, Bekka Valley.