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It's been so long since I last visited SUD. When I heard about a few new items that have been added to the menu, so of course I went for a general tasting... I always loved this place.
SUD's soothing ambiance and fresh feel, relaxes your senses in the heart of busy Beirut. Walk up a tight flight of stairs, SUD appears to your left facing Bar Tartine. This place has proved itself - same spirit, same ambiance, same decoration, I couldn't wait to try the new items on the menu. Unfortunately, the service was bad...
New sections and items on the menu: Clubs&Co, with three new items in the section - lemon and artichoke risotto replaced the black ink risotto, homemade smoked tuna, avocado and crab salad, spaghetti bolognese, duck magret, gambas with three desserts, mini éclairs, tarte feuilletée with pineapple and soufflé au chocolat.
Dinner was as satisfying as always:
- Roulé de Saumon Mariné: Thinly sliced marinated salmon of a premium quality rolled around a portion of cream cheese with gives it smoothness, a little cucumber for crunchiness, beetroot for sweetness and radish for a touch of finesse. I loved the textures and taste, which are simple yet innovative.
- Brusquette de Chèvre aux Petits Légumes: An enjoyably chewy, thick slice of baguette covered with goat's cheese and topped with a cocktail of crunchy radish and cucumbers with black olives marinated in olive oil. I loved its simplicity as well as its rich flavors.
- Brusquette Aubergine Olive: Mmmmm...This is a good one. A round, chewy baguette topped with a mountain of eggplant and pieces of black olive. A dark dish, which might look awkward until you feel the sweetness of the pomegranate. Lovely! Bravo!
- Ton Fumé Maison: I didn't understand it... Truffle oil covers the smokiness of the fish, the taste of tuna is subdued with an overwhelming use of vinaigrette. Nice sauce, fresh aroma, but poor tuna. It's not worth trying.
- Crabe Frais et Avocat: On a large square plate comes a generous portion of crab laid on a bed of guacamole loaded with lemon juice. Juicy crab, flavorful avocado and some greenery for fun, the best part was the raw zucchini and its crunch. I enjoyed this plate with a smile.
- Crevette Terre Mer: SUD's pride... A plate that confirms that SUD does have innovative and tasty dishes. You'll understand what I mean when you feel the smoothness of the shrimp exploding in your mouth, the hardness of the chorizo and the herbs tickling your palate... What an innovation, what a sauce, what juiciness. Bravo!
- Risotto au Citron et Artichauts: Aromatic and fresh, this risotto is amazing. A strong lemony flavor alongside scamorza cheese, which should be more prominent, and Parmesan which I didn't really notice. Anyway the lemon, the level of cooking, firm rice and marinated artichokes are great. A lovely plate
- Spaghetti Bolognaise Façon SUD: Generous, good tomato sauce, an interesting mix but a little dull. The meat wasn't the ragout I expected... I would maybe add some acidity, some pepper, some Parmesan... I expected more, I expected better.
- Club de Thon Fume: When you say tuna, you might imagine a cheap tuna mix with mayonnaise, but here the sandwich is different: Slices of fresh tuna alongside radish, cucumbers, anchovy dressing, olive tapenade and green salad. Three layers of bread filled with two layers of fish and other ingredients to create a new kind of club. Unfortunately the bread is too chewy, I would change that.
- Sandwich Canard: A fine dining sandwich. Soft bread from Prunelle generously filled with smoked magret, duck confit, balsamic onion and marinated in orange mustard mayonnaise. That's a lovely sandwich indeed. Smooth textures, flavorful and ready to please.
Dinner was good, as always, beautiful, innovative and tasty plates. I continued the journey to try the new desserts since SUD has already had a dessert in the my Top 10 list.
Desserts:
- Soufflé au Chocolat: That, I like! Premium dark chocolate in a cup of wonder. A spongy envelope embracing molten hot heart. It's not the sort of soufflé you know, or might have tried in France, but a revisited version more likely to be accepted in our country. I'm not a fan of soufflé, but this one is really good.
- Tarte Feuillettée a l'Ananas Caramélisée: Special, and different from the Mille feuille you know, that's a real pate feuilletée... dozens of layers of crunchy puff pastry, airy and light, filled with a rich pastry cream and topped with thinly cut layers of caramelized pineapple supporting a vanilla ice cream. Just add the caramel on top and prepare yourself to enjoy... Crunchy, warm and then hot on top. A dessert I really enjoyed and recommend.
The pluses:
- Choose between Aqua Panna or Sohat glass bottles
- I enjoyed the music coming from the upper floor
- Warm lighting, a breath of fresh air ... I always enjoy the ambiance at SUD
The famous waiters:
- I have rarely seen waiters that are as bad as the ones serving us tonight.
- Arrogant and not a single smile all night. They give off a disturbing, negative energy.
- Parmesan was not offered with the risotto or the spaghetti.
- Shouldn't the pepper mill be passed around after serving the risotto?
- The service is horrendous, one waiter was biting his nails all night and the other walked around arrogantly with the worst attitude a waiter can have, no manners and no savoir-faire whatsoever.
- I'm still waiting until now for the wine list.
- Passing from the right or left side or even over the table, nobody seems to have a rule when serving plates.
- "Yes sir" or "Oui Monsieur" are not words they know, they go for "2é".
- Thank you for pushing the plate away while I'm enjoying myself and taking the time to shoot.
- When serving a table, full focus is key, don't look around or give orders to the other members of staff.
I got to know the owners and really believe in their vision of things, so seeing a staff that clearly doesn't reflect that upsets me. I'm sure things will be fixed soon enough and in the meantime I encourage you to visit SUD for their delicious food and innovative creations, prepared with love and dedication.
