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| - I left it very last-minute in reserving a table for a birthday celebration. It was very difficult to find a spot to accommodate a party of 6 at the more popular restaurants in town. Fortunately, a table for 6 at Byblos came up. I've only heard good things about this restaurant so I thought this would be a great opportunity to try it out. First of all, the interior design was on point - modern with a rustic charm. The service was good. It got a bit loud at times making conversations a little more difficult, but again, it was a full house on a Friday night.
The food exceeded my expectations. I personally really like Mediterranean/Middle Eastern food, and Byblos did not disappoint. We started off with the Sabzi Qatayef (braised oxtail) and the house labneh dip. Both were small but tasty, just wished the portions were bigger. Then we had the black truffle pide, which was also small but absolutely delicious. For mains we had the Middle Eastern Fried Chicken, BC mussels, black cod, Roasted Lamb Shoulder for Two, Spanish octopus, triple-fried fries, Crispy Confit Duck rice, and Sweet Jeweled rice. Everything tasted great, but what got me the most was the sweet jeweled rice. It definitely stood out from the rest of the dishes, and is highly recommended for anyone who is visiting for the first time.
We had the Pavlova, pistachio ice cream/popsicle and the chocolate mousse for dessert. The chocolate mousse was absolutely delicious!
It was definitely on the pricey end for the amount of food served. We ordered almost half the menu to feed a group of 6. The bill was definitely not cheap. I would recommend this place for those who are looking for a place to celebrate a special event. Would I come on a normal weekday dinner, probably not. But would I come for a birthday celebration, a definite yes.
This dining experience was definitely a positive one, and it is likely that we will return for another meal in the near future.
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