Rue Du Liban – A Lebanese Street in Bombay

It's a delight to eat out at a restaurant which offers such a well-balanced menu. Levantine cuisine, which to you and me quite simply is healthy Middle Eastern food from east of the Mediterranean Sea. All the rage now

So! Does Bombay need another new restaurant? Yes it does, if it is anything like Rue Du Liban.
I dropped in fleetingly for its very soft opening a couple of months ago and knew in a jiffy that restaurant goers would make a great connect with The Rue, if I may shorten it to that, instead of an abbreviated RDL, which to my ear  sounds like some chemical. Quite honestly, it was the wonderful ambience which instantly created that impression in my mind. Sometimes you go right judging a book by its cover. And well, one has developed a sense of judgment after all the years one has been a eating out and going to restaurant openings.
I have to say, after being there on three occasions, I am convinced The Rue will rock the scene. It´s just the cuisine we have been waiting for; healthy Middle East fare or Eastern Mediterranean to be more specific. Forget the Levantine pitch which The Rue has put forward, it´s too subtle a difference to worry about. Though it does feel good to know that Bombay "restaurantrepreneurs´ are looking at such diverse and nuanced food concepts.
To give a quick perspective to the discerning foodies who like to know such things, Levantine cuisine includes food from various nations east of the Mediterranean Sea. Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, perhaps even Iran and certainly Lebanon, from where the restaurant takes its name; Rue Du Liban,  quite simply means, Lebanese Street.
While most of these countries have a common line running through their mezze, cold or hot, there may be slight variations in the use of ingredients or the names may differ. But largely most of the dishes will have common usage of ingredients such as chickpea, sesame, sumac, Za´tar, pomegranate, cherry tomatoes, olive oil and more olive oil among other produce.
Let's take an example of the taboulleh which is a Levantine vegetarian salad. It is made mostly from finely-chopped parsley, with tomatoes, mint, onion, bulgur (wheat which is soaked, not cooked), seasoned with lemon juice, salt, pepper and of course olive oil. Now variations of this salad may include garlic or lettuce, or use of couscous instead of bulgur. Or like in Lebanon they use much more parsley than bulgur wheat in this dish. The Turkish variation is known as kisir, while in  Cyprus, where the dish was introduced by the Syrians, it is known as tambouli. In Iran for example it is usually eaten with rice or bread and kabobs.
Of course the meat-eating Levants love lamb, preferably grilled, often minced for the kibbe, followed by beef and chicken. Fish, especially trout finds favour in the region and why would it not, when there is fantastic trout to be found in the cool climes.
I will come to the menu of The Rue a bit later, first the location, the d&eacutecor and the people behind the venture, who have put this lovely restaurant together.
The Rue is situated in the charming district of art, artists and art galleries; the Kala Ghoda area of South Bombay. It´s in the lane diagonally across from the Jehangir Art Gallery, which you enter from the Rhythm House corner. The music store that stood here for decades may now be defunct and the premises sold, but for most, it will always remain an iconic landmark.
So about 30 metres into the lane, as you pass the Synagogue painted in a happy shade of sky blue, The Rue will be on your right. You may not spot it easily as the signage plaque is very discreet and the entrance door is on the curve of a heritage building called Sassoon.
Step into it and you have stepped into any classic international restaurant of its kind. The mood and feel is upscale Middle Eastern. I haven´t been to Beirut, myself, but those who have, say The Rue looks very Lebanese. It did remind me of restaurants in Cairo and Istanbul as well, just  more tasteful, more elegant, not over-the-top as restaurants in those parts of the world tend to be.
I liked the look. Art deco inspired and so in keeping with its location and cuisine concept. Velvet upholstery in deep burgundy, marble-topped tables, wood work ceiling, dark-toned, bent wood, caf&eacute-styled chairs, olive green walls with hand-painted murals of olive trees, dangling crystal leaf art installation as centre piece and very, very sensible lighting. I don´t know how they have managed that but it is close to perfect. Lamps on the wall, lamps on the tables. Not loud and harsh and not dim or dark. Just soft and "moody´. The good thing is the tiny individual lamp on each table is wireless and you can shift it around as well as adjust its brightness. Very clever, I thought. You may wonder why I am going on about the lights, but to me they make or break the ambience of any space, restaurant or home!
I guess, getting hold of established international designers has its plus points even if it is not easy on the pocket. At The Rue, they got London´s  top design studio – Rosendale, a  firm of high repute, to do the job.

It was the soft-spoken Arja Shridhar, one of the three propreitors of the restaurant, who picked up the concept for The Rue when she was travelling in  Lebanon."I personally love eating such food and felt Bombay really could do with a nice restaurant serving food from that region. After we, Jay, Sam and I travelled through Lebanon tasting and eating the fantastic food, they felt the same and it all just fell in place."
Jay being Jay Mehta, the well-known,  reserved and very likeable human being whose family hails from Uganda and who would probably be better known for two popular reasons; one that he is owns, along with actor, Shah Rukh Khan, Kolkata Knight Riders, the IPL cricket team and two that he is married to Juhi Chawla, the darling of Bollywood.
Jay, a graduate of Columbia University, USA, also an MBA from the International Institute of Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland, is a passionate foodie. He has already shown his commitment to his passion by launching, along with the same two friends, Gustoso, the Italian eatery, one in Khar and the other at Kemps Corner.
If you consider the fact that Jay heads The Mehta Group, a multi-national industrial empire spread across India, Uganda,  Kenya and North America with interests in sugar production, electric cables, engineering, insurance, floriculture, cement, packaging materials and what not, you realise the man truly has to be interested in food to get into hospitality space, an area that calls for a lot of personal involvement and time.
But a man of many parts, Jay, an avid golfer, collects Asian and African art,  enjoys skiing, motor racing, scuba diving, and also indulges in fine wines, knows what he is all about. And for now he is, happily for us, into restaurants.
So while Jay and Sam Malde, the third partner who lives in New York, offer great support, it is Arja who becomes the face of the restaurant, a pretty face if I may add. It is she who is the driven one. Who you will end up seeing at The Rue most nights (it´s a dinner only restaurant, for now) that you are there.
Arja Shridhar grew up travelling with her taste buds. Born into a Punjabi, South Indian mixed family she has always had a curiosity for food. Most of her memorable moments were spent across the dining table discovering new flavours and indulging in interesting cuisines. "I am so fortunate  that I share a deep friendship with like-minded passionate foodies like Jay and Sam. Together our dream of bringing authentic culinary offerings to India has actually materialised," she says basking in the appreciation that has already come their way
Arja, I can see is a perfectionist who spends most of her time in the operations and execution of the restaurants (both Gustoso and The Rue) in the hope of creating memorable experiences for her patrons. "I really believe that service plays a parallel and equivalent role in elevating customer experience and so I try to focus strongly on the fine dining aspect of service," says Arja who believes in learning every aspect of the experience she caters and hence also did a course at La Notizia by Enzo Coccia in pizza-making to better understand what goes into crafting the best oven-fired pizzas.
"But three years ago we fell in love with the culture, the  vibrancy, the colourful food, the exotic flavours of the Levantine food and knew that this was just the cuisine that Bombay needed," says Arja who has since then been investing a great deal of time to bring to your palate the authentic experience of the Levant.
Which brings me to the chef who specialises in this cuisine, someone who is much more than a chef, a "chefpreneur´ actually who has his own company, TastyKitchens Hospitality which has set up the entire operations for the Arja, Jay and Sam. Of Greek origin, and international fame, he specialises in creating unique concepts and launching restaurants on a turnkey basis. It is Chef Athanasios Kargatzidis, a name that takes special linguistic ability to pronounce but who thankfully has an easy nick name, Tommy!
So Chef Tommy, who started his culinary journey acquiring a diploma in Vancouver and working his way through Europe and China, landed up in Lebanon where he helped a client set-up 35 restaurants in 5 years and then went forth on his own, to create 65 brands all through Middle East, in the last 15 years. That Lebanon truly grew on him is evident from the fact he not only has his very own restaurant called Baron in Beirut, but that he also fell in love with and married a Lebanese woman.
For two years now Chef Tommy has been in and out of Bombay meeting vendors, sourcing ingredients, understanding our culture, the dining trend, as well as interviewing potential staff, setting up the kitchen, which he calls the heart of the restaurant. Now that the restaurant has been launched he will come to Bombay once every month, for a week. His second-in-command and a very skilled and trained kitchen staff will hold fort in his absence. The chef has  promised to bring in a DJ from Lebanon, in December, as well as start importing Al Maza, the Lebanese beer which he says is the perfect accompaniment for this kind of food.
As a parting shot when I asked Chef Tommy what he feels about Bombay, he replied exuberantly, "I am in love! I love, love, love Mumbai. And its street food. And its home food. Everyday someone from the restaurant brings me food cooked by their mama, I love it!"
Now for the food at The Rue. The night I went for dinner was a Monday and I was majorly surprised to find the house full. Normally, Mondays are slow which is why I had picked that day of the week, I was hoping to have undivided attention of the kitchen staff!
But I need not have worried, the operation and service is set up with clockwork precision. And I had Arja, who knows the entire menu backwards, looking after me.
So it was in discussion with her that my menu was planned. Or was it that she just took over and was I glad she did. I ended up eating a very satisfying meal and came away feeling just right.

The good tidings; The Rue has an amalgamation of the very best of  Levant cuisine. Extensive enough, the well-balanced menu, keeps both, vegetarians and non, in mind. It is broken up under, Soup, Cold Mezze, Salad, Hot Mezze, Bakery, Grills, Desserts, Home-made Ice-creams.
You have just one soup, which is lentil-based and vegetarian, no meat stock added, but a topping of caramelised onion. The cold mezze has all that you would expect, Hommos, Moutabal, Mouhamara, Labneh, that garlicky delight of thick, hung yogurt. The chickpea and tahini mix in the Hommos is how it should be, creamy and delicate on the tongue, the Moutabal, velvetty. At The Rue you have this pur&eacuteed starter made three ways, with chargrilled aubergine (Moutabel Baba Ghanouj), steamed cauliflower (Moutabel Arnabit) and roasted beetroot (Moutabel Beetroot). Each has its own seasoning and topping with crushed pistachios, marinated walnuts or pomegranate molasses, but all come with generous drizzles of cold-pressed olive oil. An addition to Hommos is Hommos Beiruty which has an additional topping of cherry tomatoes and spring onions. Wark Inab b´Zeit not among my favourite is there for you- the unusual vine leaf rolls, filled with rice tomatoes, parsley and onion, steamed in lemon juice and olive oil.
Salads form an important part of Middle Eastern and Medditereanean dining and at The Rue, you have Tabouleh, Rocca Shanklish (rocket), Halloumi and Fattouch, which is a chunky mixed vegetable salad.
The Hot Mezze is what I found the most interesting. In addition to the usual Falafel and Kibbeh, Makanek and Soujok (beef and lamb sausages), there was Hommos Lamhe, hommos topped with minced lamb and roasted pine nuts, Malfouf Mehshi, steamed cabbage rolls stuffed with rice and lamb in garlic yogurt, Samak Harra- grouper in tomato sauce. What was probably the best was Jawaneh, a dish I  did not order, but which was sent along under the hostess´s (read Arja´s) instruction. Jawaneh was a chargrilled and marinated chicken wing dish, sprinkled with some amazing spice and pomegranate, accompanied with a blob of Toum. I fell in love with this Toum, not that it is anything new for me, I am pretty crazy about Aioli, its cousin, just that this Toum was perfect! I think they should serve a generous portion of it as a side dish which we can have as a starter with Manakeesh Za´tar, the Lebanese bread which has a topping of Za´tar, sumac, sesame and olive oil, as we sip on some cold beer waiting for the food to arrive.
The Bakery doesn´t just comprise breads. There is flat bread, Middle Eastern style with toppings and fillings–– minced meat, cheese, pine nuts, etc. For those who like to eat non-greasy, dryish meals this is perfect with some salad on the side or even a bowl of Fatet Hommos B´laban, the famous boiled chickpeas with chilli oil.
Grilled food is also de rigueur in Levant eating and while there is plenty to choose from, a platter of Mashewi Mshakal, should be the best. It´s a mix grill of cubed chicken and beef, with lamb minced kebabs. Perfect.
Or not quite for you have some amazing home-made ice-creams; Tahini and Rose Petal flavoured, and Date Cake and Beklewa and Ossmallieh and  Mouhalabieh, the creamy pudding to really make it perfect!
It´s the stuff Rue du Dreams are made of.

 
Address: Sassoon Building, 43, VB Gandhi Marg, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai 400023
Ph: 022 2286 4444