Indigo On The Roof: Fine Dining with Perfection (Restaurant Closed)

The luxurious Le Gray Hotel impressive architectural landmark stands out in the middle of Beirut city. Imagine going up to the last floor and enjoy a breathtaking experience that will awaken your taste and sight senses. Indigo-On The Roof is the hotel’s exclusive restaurant, receiving much high praise for its outstanding cuisine and service. The contemporary interior, designed by Mary Fox Linton, provides a spacious environment to compliment the stunning panoramic views of the city from every corner of the hotel.

The open plan of the restaurant with its multi dimensional quality creates an overwhelming feeling of one being in touch with the urban environment surrounding the hotel. The Grand Mosque of Mohammad Al Amin is captured in picture-like precision from one angle and from another a captivating view of other modern high rise buildings in the neighboring area. The fresh transparency of the space at Indigo- On The Roof is demonstrated by the display, in clear view, of its exclusive wine collection. The 650 wines available are from many regions of the world, including: Italy, France, South Africa, Chile and Lebanon to name but a few.

The Interior I'm in love with:

• High glass windows giving an open view on the Beirut Central District.
• Relaxing beige upholstery chairs  decorated with a touch of color.
• A general purple finish, relaxing for the eyes.
• Round and square tables pleasant to sit in groups and enjoy face to face conversations.
• The huge wine cellar displaying the complete collection.
• An open kitchen where chefs prepare the art pieces with love.

We ordered to share:

• Grilled Chicken Caesar salad (crispy sour dough croutons).
• Warm Crouton Goat Cheese (beer root and green been salad).
• Grilled Calamari (cherry tomato, caper and mango salsa).
• WildMushroom Risotto (Reggiano Parmesan).
• Thai Baked Seabass in Banana Leaf (fragrant rice and sesame glazed green vegetables).
• Chateaubriand for Two (presented to you to see then cut with hand-cut chips).
• Indigo Chocolate Assiette for Two (include two piece of each fondant, tart, mousse Pralinee and ice cream).

Every part of the experience has a hidden detail:

• On the menu make sure to follow two signs: (V) suitable for vegetarians and (N) dish contains nuts.
• Lunch started with the fine Échiré butter and some delicious crunchy homemade chips.
• Meat is served with Lagliole signature knives.
• The staff is so professional and relaxed. They do their jobs happily with a smile making your experience joyful.
• Bread, served twice is crunchy and tasty with a choice of brown, white and olive bread, all of which are tasty and fresh.
• Some of the dishes can be ordered in a small and large portions, each with a different price of course.
• At Indigo, you will have to experience two different menus, one for lunch and another for dinner.

The Culinary Experience:

• The Chicken Cesar salad is one of the best you can have in town. If you're a fan of chicken Cesar salad, you will surely appreciate Indigo's fresh mix and presentation of this salad, with its rich big pieces of grilled chicken,  enough parmesan, the rich amount of anchovies. Every bite was enjoyable.
• The warm crouton goat cheese is a piece of art by itself. A beautiful dish but I felt it was a bit too complicated for my taste. Take the piece of toast with the cheese, it's nice and tasty. The chèvre used melts in your mouth.
• The grilled calamari are my favorite, as I already mentioned it in the Gordon's Cafe review serving the same. It's fresh and rich in flavor.
• The mushroom risotto is the freshest and most authentic risotto you can taste in Lebanon. Just look at the color and you'll understand. It is so generous and full of mushrooms that the rice taste disappears. For mushroom lovers, that is a dish you should not miss. I would prefer to use less mushroom, more rice and make it a bit more al dente.
• The Thai baked seabass is unique. A mix of sweet and sour tastes, all wrapped with the banana leaf giving the fish a tender and melting texture.
• The Chateaubriand meat is the dish I liked the least. I considered the fact that its the first time a menu proposes a non faty Chateaubriand instead of a heavy Cote de Boeuf where half of the meat is thrown away but there was something not right about it. The meat was over cooked and a bit too dry even though we ordered it medium and not well done. But the wine sauce adds to the dish that missing touch. It is to die for specially when combined with the thick french fries sticks.

The dessert:

We ordered the Indigo Chocolate Selection: chocolate assiette for two (fondant, tart, mousse pralinee and ice cream). A really indescribable small pieces of magic. When I saw the platter, I thought oh! this can be shared by more than two people. But when I first started, I said no way am I sharing these with anyone. It is simply awesome. A bit of melting chocolate fondant, followed by a crunchy chocolate tart and ending it with a spoon of mousse! Who would want to share this with anyone... It is WOW!

A perfect combination of service, taste and enjoyment making the Indigo one of my favorite places in town.