Albergo's Rooftop: Fine Dining in a Cosy Atmosphere

There are a few places in Lebanon that really stand out and eventually become a landmark. One such place is the Albergo Hotel. Passing by the famous Rue Du Liban in Achrafieh, you can't but notice a beautiful building hosting the only Relais&Chateaux hotel in Lebanon. Hotel Albergo, nestled at the intersection between Rue Du Liban and Abdel Wahab el Inglizi Street is an iconic location known by most people. Inside this hotel are two restaurants.  Choose between Aldente, the fine dining Italian restaurant or the Rooftop to indulge in one of the finest cuisines Lebanon has to offer.

• A beautiful calm and cozy space with a warmer and classier feel compared to the famous Sydney's on the roof of Le Vendome
• Head waiter with his black smoking and red tie helped by the waiter in white jacket and black bow

Dinner started with a basket of hot and crunchy bread,echire butter, and olive oilfromQadisha valley and balsamic vinegarfromDeCecco. Bread sticks in a cup, two flowerpots and salt and vinegar silver shakers.

Chef Nicolas Offredi proposes an exceptional menu of classic dishes and gourmet specialties from which the most discerning of palates can be chosen.

 

The menu:

• 41 choices divided into 6 sections
• Soups, salads, sandwiches and eggs, pasta and risotto, meat chicken and fish, desserts

Good to know:

• The menu proposes "Pates sans glutenes" and five "gluten free" choices
• Five items with the number of calories contained in each written next to them

The things I enjoyed:

• Classiness of the place
• Drinks are served with carrots and nuts and placed on printed coasters
• Relaxing and soothing music
• Bread is fresh and delicious
• They serve CocaCola

We ordered... The food details:

• Asparagus salad with Almonds and Candied Lemon: Seven fresh and green asparagus served with lemon and almonds. Crunchy, well seasoned and tasty

• Nicoise salad Alberto style (Dijon mustard dressing covering all the fresh ingredients, sucrine lettuce, a tomato cut in four pieces, green beans, olives, eggs, in a beautiful glass bowl)

• Sea Bass Tagliatelline Orange Zest and Zucchinis: Aldente pasta perfectly blended with crunchy zucchinis and seasoned with orange zest. The soft and tender perfectly cooked fish mixed with the aldente pasta makes this plate a unique one

• Whole Sea Bass Mediterranean style: Bar fish cutlet, spinach and it's vegetable cold sauce. Ginger and vegetables sauce served cold

• Escalope a la Milanaise: Escalope covered with tomatoes and basil and four slices of baked potato on the side: Simple and tasty. I recommend it

• Lime and Mascarpone Risotto. Simply Yummy! Bravo

• Vitello Tonnato: 8 rolls filled with carrots and zuzhini on tonnato sauce served in a nice plate

What I didn't like:

• Wine and water glasses are too heavy and too thick
• Chairs are perfect for back pain
• The headwaiter's attitude is unacceptable and repulsive. It makes you not want to come again

Desserts are to be looked into:

• Cold mousse and vanilla ice cream inside. Hard biscuit underneath. Watery crunchy ice cream. Heavy cream. Not worth it
• Loukoum, too small, good but not worth the price

The minuses and must change:

1. The headwaiter does not fit in this place. It's a Relais&Chateaux where the service should be perfect. He is rude, not smiling, and unwelcoming and obviously hates his job. Searching for another thing do fill his life with will make him happier
2. Desserts are not up to the place's standard. Such great food cannot be paired with just average desserts

It is sad to witness the last few good restaurants in this country fall apart due to bad service. If a Relais&Chateaux has such bad staff, what do should we expect from regular restaurants? We were six persons and all we found ourselves talking about while leaving was the waiter's attitude. We had forgotten all about the delicious food. The Albergo's rooftop can become one of the best fine dining restaurant in town if things are taken more seriously: More professional waiters and better desserts.