Enjoying their mouthwatering photos on a daily basis, I got excited to go all the way from Beirut to try this new fish bar called Quick Fish, a fast food concept by Chez Zakhia restaurant.
Located on Jbeil's entrance, one block right after Roadster Diner is a restaurant, a small place occupying the corner of a building with two high glass facades. Enjoying natural sunlight, this fast food place is fine and looks neat and clean.
The main wall is decorated with light wooden boards and the "Q" logo. Under that is the menu, printed on a black board with no pictures and written in Latin using Arabic language. Grey floor, thick wooden tables in a white space decorated with beautiful photos of their sandwiches that look like paintings. With some fresh greenery around, the place encourages your trust while opening up your appetite.
Choose your order and move forward to the end. Place your order and wait to be served. They won't accept payment until you're done; just in case anything might be added to be bill.
Sandwiches:
- Samke harra from the North or from Beirut
- Samak me2le with a Byblos version
- Samak mechwe and a version with tartar
- Octopus
- Quick fish
- Bizri
- Raw fish
- Fried Shrimp
- Fried cauliflower
- Calamari
Some appetizers:
- Calamari rings
- Shrimp
- Shrimp rolls
- Pickles
- Hummus
- Mtabbal
A pleasant ambiance, a welcoming staff, a rich menu… we ordered and waited to be served. Unfortunately for me many of the sandwiches contain garlic.
- Fresh grilled fish with lettuce, pickles, mint leaves and tarator sauce: Tender bread, a generous portion of fish that's juicy and the needed vegetables to add a crunch and enjoyment.
- Raw fish comes with soya sauce and fresh green chili pepper guaranteed to tickle your palate. It's a local fish called "jaro 2emtyess". It's a small sandwich which you should order on the side and not as a main meal.
- Tabblouleh: Fresh and tasty, mixed a la minute.
- French fries, served in a black bucket and fried shrimps, 5 pieces of it in another bucket and a third with calamari rings. Tasty, crunchy and fresh but needing a sauce to accompany them. The calamari are light in color without the thick bread envelop that comes usually with them, the fries are fresh and non oily with a light crunch and the shrimp battered and fried ready to be dipped in the cocktail sauce we ordered. Sides, which complete your sandwich experience.
- The Quick Fish sandwich contains some marinated fish with hints of spices wrapped around with fries, lettuce and tartar sauce. It's light and flavorful, offering interesting textures, a tasty sandwich which in my opinion could be a bit thicker with more fish to be fulfilling and to match those photos we see on Instagram. My favorite: lemony, fresh and tender, generously filled with tender meat and smelling the sea aromas. Some lettuce, tomatoes and this lemony taste that stays for long after every bite.
- Shrimp rolls are excellent. Not like any I've had before they're juicy on the inside and crunchy on the outside with a dark filling of shredded vegetables and a thick enjoyable envelop. They're not Spring Rolls with shrimps but real shrimp rolls.
The positive:
- Staff is extremely welcoming and professional.
- The restaurant is clean and neat, welcoming and fresh.
- The food is tasty.
I'll change:
Sandwiches are tasty but honestly, there is nothing super exceptional about them that will make me want to come back for it every week or every other week. I would personally make the sandwiches a bit thicker, use one loaf of bread not more, use more tender bread like the one Kababji uses to enjoy the filling and feel it. It simply needs some tweaking to reflect the beautiful branding done.
We were offered 3aysh el Saraya for dessert, add sugar syrup and enjoy. A great way to end up your meal.
So Quick Fish is this new quick-diner proposing fish sandwiches on Jbeil's internal road. It's a promising concept, which should be landing in Beirut soon.
