Seasons Restaurant: Worth a Trip to Ehden for the Experience

Seasons in Ehden's Mist Hotel boasts classy decor. Little details like Degrenne wine glasses, two forks and two knives, a butter plate and glass water bottles made me feel sure I was to experience a delicious lunch in Ehden. Seasons is Mist's main restaurant and offers a selection of international dishes including calamari, salads, soups, pastas, meat mains, sandwiches and burgers.

Mirrored glass on one side, wooden panels on the other and a long glass facade with a view onto the valley. A handful of tables set professionally to welcome the guests. My family enjoyed dinner the night before and loved it; so we decided to come back and enjoy lunch here.

The menu highlights:

• Sautéed calamari
• Tempura shrimp
• Fresh tuna tartare
• Angus beef carpaccio
• Red and white quinoa salad
• Linguini Bolognesi
• Grilled jumbo shrimp
• Roasted chicken
• The Master's cordon bleu
• Australian lamb chops
• The Cuban burger
• Steak sandwich
• The club sandwich

Lunch began with olive tapenade and olive oil balsamic served in the middle of the table, to be shared alongside freshly baked crisp baguettes.

Appetizers arrive:

• I loved the crispy Thai beef salad with mango cubes, apples and beetroot on a bed of frizé lettuce. Super crisp beef that indeed were practically like crisps, with ripe fruits which added the necessary sweetness. It is an enjoyable salad.
• The quinoa is excellent! Chilled edamame, perfectly prepared quinoa, perfect seasoning, fresh pomegranate, exceptional and crunchy almonds, sweet vinegar and a hint of thyme. Bravo chef!
• Shrimp tempura, airy and light with beautiful batter, an enjoyable crunch, no oiliness. They're very good!
• Fried battered avocados on a bed of roquette leaves with fresh mushrooms and broccoli and a balsamic sauce.

The main deal:

• Tender, well cooked, red on the inside without being bloody, a light grilled flavor: the Angus beef tenderloin is very good! Great quality that I didn't expect. Two thumbs up chef - that's the work of a professional.
• With garlic in the pasta, Paul the manager suggested spaghetti carbonara. The creamy version of the carbonara is balanced, flavorful, with cheese mixed through, lightly al dente and loaded with bacon. I liked it but it would have been perfect if with less cream and a grind of pepper.
• I even tried the penne arrabiata; perfect Italian restaurant quality. Cooked al dente, tomato sauce, lightly acidic and some black olives. I added some Parmesan on top and enjoyed. 

Really good food is served here and the service is professionally managed by Paul who has years of experience in Beirut's finest hotels. The staff were helpful and happy.

I would improve three things:

• Wine bottles: once opened should not be kept after service ends.
• With all that finesse and investment put in this restaurant one major item is missing: cloth table napkins. Paper serviettes are not suitable.
• When served, the pasta should be followed by the offering of pepper from a pepper mill. It's a small ritual that makes a big difference.

Desserts then followed. All I can say is wow! Superb desserts. The bananas were soft and juicy inside with a rich and strong banana flavor. The dark chocolate mousse was perfect, while the Fraisier was tasty and light. The spongy chocolate cake was enjoyable, although sweeter than I expected. The cheesecake verrine was equally good. Even their maamoul was good... not fatty, not hard, not sweet... just right.

Chef Ahmad Yassine deserves a round of applause. Bravo for such a great lunch.

An enjoyable lunch I'll remember for a long time, and one of the many reasons I will come back to Ehden very soon.