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An interesting and catchy first impression grabs you inside the latest diner to open on Makdessi street Hamra; it's called J's. J's is about good mood, positive vibes, a simple and modern decor. "J's" has just opened and ready to welcome you; let's try what they have to offer.
An American diner menu is mainly specialized in sliders made of mini potato buns imported directly from the states, burgers and sandwiches. Let's take a moment and appreciate the decor.
Under a high ceiling is an industrial space covered with red bricks and rugged concrete, decorated with metal and graffiti and fine-tuned with light camel leather sofas. It seems "J's" has followed the latest trends in architecture before the others. No photos, no colors but only one graffiti with lots of stones and a floor light colored fake wood. Three distinct spaces are all non-smoking. I was happy and relaxed, eager to eat.
- Cheesy pops: five balls of fried cheesy pops, balls of crispness embracing a heart of molten Gouda and cheddar cheese with Cajun spices. Served on a rectangular plate, the balls lie on a bed of red marinara tomato sauce. A crunch, a molten feeling and then comes the taste. A good taste!
- Sticky maple buffalo chicken strips, five of them tender chicken embraced with a the real deal of spiciness. Intense spiciness of those crumbs and orange sauce that will accompany you for long. Yummy indeed!
- J's summer play is more of a journey than a salad, an amazing salad I describe as"wow". Watermelon balls like ice cream scoops, melon cubes, feta cheese squares, roquette and mint leaves, shredded cucumbers finished with pomegranate molasses. Bravo for such a magnificent cocktail of flavors, freshness of aromas and sweet taste.
- Wait until you've tried the eggplant crunchy chunks, fried they are but who cares. Bread eggplant slices served with a lightly sweet tomato sauce on the side. They are intensely crunchy on the outside, extremely juicy on the inside feeling like cheese and then comes the sauce. Bravo!
- The sliders: the all star, the crispy chicken and the pulled roasted beef. It starts with the bread, the bread that makes these sliders famous; the potato bread imported specially for J's. The all star is stuffed win a juicy patty and crunchy sweet cucumber pickles and boosted with a slice of melted cheddar. The fried chicken burger is good enough and the roast beef needs some fine tuning.
- The urban burger is what we had next. Beef patty, sautéed onions, smoked Gouda cheese, wild rocket and J's sauce. A generous loaded burger made of a fresh bun, a juicy patty and a thick layer of crunchy onion rings.
- The Bangkok beef is a recommendation; Thai marinated beef scallops, carrots, beets and cucumber noodles, cabbage, radishes, pickled ginger, red pepper and citrus ginger sauce. The meat quality is excellent for a salad followed by all the other ingredients.
Good food... I liked the details and dedication put into every plate. The burgers are presented in metallic net trays with papers at the bottom. The metallic baskets are used to serve fries while the large rounded plates host the salads and the - relaxing to eat - cutlery.
A new diner is now open, it's called J's.
