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| - A new Syrian themed resto opened up in Laval and after accumulating a few favorable reviews a group of us visited it to see what it was all about. So here's the rundown :
AMBIANCE : A few restos operated here the last few years and failed. Pylos was very Greek themed so when I walked in I was expecting it to be different but they really re-hauled the place to suit their needs. First thing I noticed were the cubicles, they are gone and a lot of big long tables were put in. The resto is clean, modern feeling with a distinct Arabic theme. The quality of decorations is very nice and aesthetic pleasing, all in all, impressive layout!
SERVICE : Since we got here on Saturday night it was relatively packed with a lot of large families celebrating events (thus the big tables!!). This resto is family friendly, so expect a lot of kids running around but there are areas for adults only. You can expect a lot of little legs running about in white dresses and tiny tuxes. Another thing to note is there were a lot of people here thus it made the experience a bit difficult to enjoy since it was soooooo loud from everyone talking. What didn't help was the really loud Arabic music blaring over us on top of that which I didn't feel it was necessary at all. Having a conversation at our own table required you to speak very loudly and the relief was welcomed when I left the resto. My poor ears.
The wait staff is friendly albeit somewhat passive. Speed was slow during the entire experience so expect to be here 2-3 hours for a dining experience. Extra wait staff on hand would certainly help as they were very busy! Notching down some points for only one water refill during my 2+ hour stay and it was only refilled nearly the end of the visit. Furthermore, we didn't get asked if we wanted more drinks/food/etc. This requires attention. Chasing waiters is not my type of preferred activity, so that area definitely needs improvement.
FOOD : Let's talk about the food! If you haven't eaten Syrian, it's a must as the experience is palpable. It doesn't differ too greatly if you've eaten Lebanese in the past... and I LOVE Lebanese food. Here's what I experienced and my rating per plate.
PIta Bread - (5 stars) Damn!!!! I love hot pita bread and I love how it looks like a big balloon of soft pita dough that somehow loves to find its way down your gullet. Yummy!
Fattouch - (4 stars) Mixed fresh vegetables and fried pita served with vinegar and pomegranate molasses seasoned with sumac. Salad-like shavings on top of the salad was nice. Lacked the acidic kick at the end of each bite I've grown to love eating this type of salad over the last few decades but hey.... still very good.
Sujuk rolls - (4 stars) Seasoned Minced meat with Syrian spices fried with pita bread. This was definitely a new experience for me as I'm used to Sujuk to be wet-like bowls with a dry spicy taste. The appetizer experience was welcomed and tasty.
Cheese rolls - (5 stars) Cheese baladi rolled in a crispy dough. Absolutely a must try, delicious!!! Imagine a fried egg roll filled with decadent cheese.
Fries - (2 stars) Garlic potatoes cut into small cubes with a garlic soup-like sauce. Potatoes were decent but the garlicky taste was weak, the soup-like mixture at the bottom made the potatoes at the bottom obviously mushy. Forgettable.
Chiche-taouk - (3 stars) Chicken marinated in our homemade sauce grilled on charcoal. The chicken was good, enjoyed the spices but it seems either Beroya can't do garlic right or the mixture Syrian cuisine uses for garlic is not for me. Garlic was weaksauce. Very creamy, did not taste the right amount of garlic. Average plate.
Halaewt el Jiben - (4 stars) Semolina and cheese pastry stuffed with Cream (achta) served with pistachios and sugar syrup. Very tasty and I always get sad when my plate is empty.
Bouza & Ghazel el Banat - (4 stars) Ice cream served with cotton candy and pistachios. The cotton candy looks weird at first since it looks like dog hair but it's quite tasty. Ice cream is not the conventional kind and it's an acquired taste. I liked it
Aryan (2 stars) - Yogurt mint drink. Small serving with almost no mint, didn't feel right for me, forgettable.
Wanted to try some falafel but they were out.... at 6 PM? I'm not a fan of things being on menus which you can't order.... also no olive plates, correct that please.
PRICE : We tried several plates and the final price tag divided among us made it an affordable experience ($35 each). Definitely recommend the hot and cold mezzes with a bunch of friends. They have a nice menu where you can order a number of items for $79 (dinner for 2) but we didn't feel inclined to order from the cold mezze. Value here isn't excellent but still pretty good.
CONCLUSION : 4 stars. I was concerned about a few menu items but I'm just picky about my garlic stuff (I'm a garlic snob?) but overall it's a good experience to try at least once. If you like Lebanese well.... try Syrian and bring friends!
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