Tabbouleh Lebanese Cafe And Restaurant

Tabbouleh Lebanese Cafe And Restaurant
41 Arab Street

55 Bussorah Street

https://www.facebook.com/Tabboulehrestaurant41/

Mezze

Hearty Lebanese Plates

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Ambience & Setting: 8
Food & Beverage: 7
Service: 8
Value for Money: 7
Spent about SGD $45 per person.


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Originally established by Lebanese master chef Mohamad 'Slim' Salim sometime before August 2014, Tabbouleh Lebanese Cafe And Restaurant changed hands since shisha smoking was banned in Singapore, with the new owners taking over sometime before July 2016. Named after the healthy Middle Eastern salad, Tabbouleh Lebanese Cafe And Restaurant offers authentic Lebanese dishes in large, family-size portions, at reasonable prices. They actually have 2 outlets close to each other, the original place is more casual, while the newer outlet is more premium and comfortable.

Ambience at Tabbouleh Lebanese Cafe And Restaurant is relaxed and open at the newer outlet. Diners are seated in the al-fresco outdoor lounge chairs, which are plush and comfortable. Overhead are powerful fans cooling the area, with white spotlights that illuminate each table, while underfoot is a comfortable faux lawn carpet. With largely outdoor seating and limited indoor seats, Tabbouleh Lebanese Cafe And Restaurant offers a great place for people watching on cool evenings.

Service at Tabbouleh Lebanese Cafe And Restaurant is friendly and attentive, yet much less pushy than other nearby restaurants. Staff are polite and display decent product knowledge, able to briefly describe dishes and make recommendations. I note they clear finished dishes and clean up quickly when diners leave, resulting in the place looking neat and presentable. There's a comfortable hospitality here, and staff willingly engage in conversations, and sometimes break into dance to the Arabic background music.

Food at Tabbouleh Lebanese Cafe And Restaurant is focused on Lebanese cuisine, which bears much similarity to Turkish cuisine and Mediterranean cuisine. Think ample fresh salads and dips with warm bread, grilled meat and seafood on skewers, and lots of rice. Quality here is consistently above average. Portions are large, and meant for communal sharing. Prices are comparable to other mid-range restaurants, but I'll return because of their good value and personalised service. Budget about SGD $45 per person for a meal without drinks here.


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Tabbouleh Lebanese Cafe And Restaurant Facade

Seating & Faux Lawn

Decor

Awning

Bazaar House Of Mandi Facade - Photo Taken During 2018 Ramadan Bazaar

Prep Area

Stewed Lamb Shanks

Pride Of Lamb - Photo Taken During 2018 Ramadan Bazaar

I've always enjoyed a good mandi rice. This is a unique cooking style which originated from Yemen, where spice marinated meat is slow roasted for hours over a pot of rice. The meat drippings fall onto and flavour the rice, which slowly steams and flavours the meat, like a cycle of deliciousness. I had this Lamb Mandi (SGD $15) at the Ramadan bazaar. It features a large, spice marinated lamb shank, with succulent moist tender chewy lamb meat, and good meaty savoury spice flavour. The fluffy soft mandi rice is garnished with tender caramelised white onions, chewy golden raisins, crunchy stewed green bell peppers / capsicum, and sides of fresh crisp cucumbers, tomatoes, roasted lemon juice, and lettuce. The dish has a delicate aroma, with light sweet spice savoury vegetal flavour. Good!

Lamb Mandi (SGD $15)

Lamb Mandi

Lamb Mandi

Lamb Mandi

Loved the warm and fragrant Apple Tea (SGD $4.50), with its earthy fruity sweet flavours. Good even without the white sugar cubes on the side. Note this is not refillable. Worth ordering!

Apple Tea (SGD $4.50)

The Shorbat Adas / Red Lentil Soup (SGD $9) is a staple Middle Eastern soup that is healthy and flavourful. The soup is made with pureed red lentils, white onions, basmati rice, and carrots, seasoned with cumin, turmeric, salt, white pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil. The result is a medium thick texture and rich earthy savoury salty tangy spice flavour. Filling and satisfying, great on cold days. Highly recommended!

Shorbat Adas / Red Lentil Soup (SGD $9)

Shorbat Adas / Red Lentil Soup

A classic Turkish, Lebanese, and Syrian mezze dip, the chilled Hummus (SGD $11.90) features a grainy creamy blend of mashed chickpeas, tahini / toasted ground hulled sesame seeds, lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil. Garnished with a juicy cherry tomato, paprika powder, crisp fresh lettuce, and parsley, the hummus has robust grainy earthy savoury sweet spice flavours. It's served with warm Khubz (SGD $Complimentary), a round leavened Middle Eastern flatbread, which has a soft chewy texture. A khubz is made with all-purpose flour, salt, yeast, water, and vegetable oil, and usually has a fragrant grainy sweet flavour. Served to pair with most mezze. Highly recommended!

Hummus (SGD $11.90)

Hummus

Hummus

Hummus

Khubz (SGD $Complimentary)

Khubz

A classic Lebanese vegetarian salad which lends its name to the restaurant, the Tabbouleh (SGD $12.90) here is made with finely chopped parsley, tomatoes, mint, white onions, and durum wheat bulgur. Seasoned with lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and olive oil, then served chilled. This refreshing crunchy juicy salad has bright vegetal earthy tangy sour sweet flavour. It's served with warm Pita (SGD $Complimentary), a yeast-leavened round Middle Eastern flatbread, which has a soft doughy texture. A pita bread is made with all-purpose flour, salt, yeast, and water, and usually has a fragrant bready sweet flavour. Served to pair with most mezze. Good!

Tabbouleh (SGD $12.90)

Tabbouleh

Pita (SGD $Complimentary)

Pita

The Falafel (SGD $13.90) here is large and round, with a light crunch to the exterior, and a grainy crumbly interior. The falafel ball of mashed chickpeas and fava beans is tightly packed, seasoned with garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, and black pepper, and has robust earthy savoury salty spice flavour. Being high in protein and fiber, while being generally low in fat and containing no cholesterol (if baked), this popular street snack is relatively healthy. Yum. Good!

Falafel (SGD $13.90)

Falafel

The name of a dry spicy beef sausage common in the Middle East, here, their version of Soujouk (SGD $16.90) substitutes the sausage with sliced beef instead. That aside, this aromatic dish remains largely similar, with the sliced beef tossed with bell peppers / capsicum, white onions, tomato ketchup, and fresh tomato sauce. With a beautiful medley of crunchy juicy tender slippery textures, this fragrant dish has bright sweet savoury vegetal meaty flavour, enticing you to reach for more. Highly recommended!

Soujouk (SGD $16.90)

Soujouk

The Manakish Za'atar & Cheese (SGD $15.90) is a traditional Lebanese flatbread, also known as Manaqish, or Mankousheh. Resembling a pizza in shape, this circular flatbread is made with all-purpose flour, salt, sugar, yeast, water, and extra virgin olive oil, resulting in a bready savoury sweet flavour. There are 2 common versions of manakish / manaqish / mankousheh; the Manakish Za'atar feaures a topping of za'atar, which is primarily a blend of thyme, hulled sesame seeds, salt, and sumac. The za'atar has a bright smoky herbal savoury nutty flavour. The Manakish Cheese has a blend of 3 Arabic cheese; Akkawi, Tzfat, and Kashkaval. This has a savoury salty cheesy flavour. Served with crunchy cucumbers and juicy cherry tomatoes, both with vegetal sweet flavour. Love how tasty and yummy both versions are, will return just for this. Highly recommended!

Manakish Za'atar & Cheese (SGD $15.90)

Manakish Za'atar & Cheese

Manakish Za'atar

Manakish Cheese

Manakish Za'atar & Cheese

The Samak Makli (SGD $31.90) is a traditional whole fried fish dish, well loved for its crispy skin, and tender moist flaky fish meat subtly emboldened with spices. The samak makli typically uses a firm, white flesh fish, such as sea bass, red snapper, sea bream, grouper, or perch. The fish is dry-rubbed with spices and aromatics, which may include powdered turmeric, powdered cumin, powdered coriander, salt, black pepper, white pepper, lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil. Slices of lemon, lime, and cucumber are then stuffed within. The result is a bold smoky savoury sweet spice flavour to the fish. Served with fluffy rice pilaf that has soft grainy sweet flavour (which we chose to replace with fries), fresh salad (lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, purple cabbage) with vegetal sweet flavour, and warm chewy soft khubz with fragrant bready sweet flavour. Slightly expensive for the medium portion size though. Worth ordering!

Samak Makli (SGD $31.90)

Samak Makli

Samak Makli

Samak Makli

A widely eaten and beloved dish in Turkey, Lebanon, and Syria, the Shish Taouk (SGD $26.50) consists of skewers of charcoal grilled cubes of marinated boneless chicken, tender and moist in texture with savoury salty spice smoky flavour, alternated with slices of crunchy vegetables (bell peppers / capsicum, cucumbers, red onions, cherry tomatoes) with bright smoky vegetal sweet bitter herbal flavour. The shish taouk is served with juicy tomatoes, crisp lettuce, and sliced lemon, over fluffy rice pilaf that has soft grainy sweet flavour. A creamy garlic aioli sauce accompanies. Good!

Shish Taouk (SGD $26.50)

Shish Taouk

Shish Taouk

A decadent communal sharing platter, the Mixed Grill - Chicken Kafta, Lamb Kafta, Lahem Meshwi, Shish Taouk (SGD $49.50) is served in small, medium, or large portion sizes; this was the medium size.

The Onion & Tomato Salad on the side has bright crunchy juicy textures, with the refreshing tangy vegetal sour sweet flavour helping to alleviate the richness of this dish. The Fries are crisp and fluffy, with nice spiced starchy salty potato flavour. The Arabic Spiced Rice Pilaf was addictive, with its loose fluffy texture and bold smoky spice grainy savoury sweet flavour.

The Shish Taouk was as good as before, but my favourite is the tender Chicken Kafta, where the tightly packed minced chicken skewer has bouncy tender texture with delicate sweet savoury smoky flavour. The Lahem Meshwi was disappointing with the lamb cubes being overly tough and slightly gamey, but at least the Lamb Kafta was decent, where the tightly packed minced lamb skewer has bouncy tender texture with robust salty savoury meaty flavour. Good!

Mixed Grill - Chicken Kafta, Lamb Kafta, Lahem Meshwi, Shish Taouk (SGD $49.50)

Mixed Grill - Chicken Kafta, Lamb Kafta, Lahem Meshwi, Shish Taouk

Onion & Tomato Salad

Fries

Arabic Spiced Rice Pilaf

Chicken Kafta

Lamb Kafta & Lahem Meshwi

Shish Taouk

Skewers Of Meat

Mixed Grill - Chicken Kafta, Lamb Kafta, Lahem Meshwi, Shish Taouk

Their home made Baklava (SGD $10) is seemingly made-to-order, resulting in a waiting time of about 20 minutes. When served, this warm dessert looks so pretty, with its delicate filo pastry sheets layered over chopped almonds, garnished with rose water syrup and crushed pistachio. Bite into the baklava, and you get the delicate crisp crunch of the pastry, followed by the firm crunch of the nuts, with bold sweet floral nutty flavour. I like that their version isn't overly sweet, being nicely balanced. Highly recommended!

Baklava (SGD $10)

Baklava

Baklava

The Zhourat (SGD $Complimentary with SGD $100+ spend) is a Lebanese herbal drink and traditional medicine for settling the stomach and nursing a cold. A type of herbal tea, the zhourat consists of a blend of wildflowers (lemon flowers, chamomile flowers, marshmallow flowers, Damask rose), and leaves (mint leaves, green tea leaves, lemon verbena leaves). The result is a calming earthy herbal sweet flavour to the tea. Served with white sugar on the side, though I find it tasty enough on its own. Good!

Zhourat (SGD $Complimentary with SGD $100+ spend)

Zhourat

Zhourat

Zhourat

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Disclaimer: Half our visits here were before the COVID-19 circuit breaker in Singapore was implemented, some menu items pictured are no longer available. Environment photos were likewise taken before COVID-19.







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