Burgers make me happy. As many of you know I’ve been searching for Lebanon’s best burger since 2010 long before the burger craze swept Lebanon.
And yes, for a while I realized that this little pastime of mine wasn’t doing justice to my waistline. So I gave it a rest. But old habits die hard and now I’m back to my fiendish ways.
I’m not the first to discover or write a raving good review about Frosty Palace. It’s been rated as one of Lebanon’s best burgers. I’m here to confirm that truth. I was there and I saw it too. The rumors don’t lie. That is one brave burger. Its warm fresh buttered bun grabs the little beast inside it with all its gloriousness and almost voluntarily takes the plunge into your mouth.
But before we all climax together let me tell you about this little treasure nestled away in Mar Mikhael’s inner streets. It’s named after the malt shop in the hit musical Grease, except instead of running into Sandy and Danny, the place looks like Audrey Hepburn would be seated at the bar. The décor is delightfully chic and simple. The huge crystal chandelier brings that paradoxical touch of glamour to the setting. Brilliant.
The place is teeny tiny, in a very intimate way. The menu is minimal. My man and I didn’t think twice before ordering the burger on the menu, fine freshly ground Australian beef. Jackpot. Our waiter announced that the mayonnaise and tomato relish (ketchup) were homemade. That got our attention.
We both prefer our burgers the classic way nothing too complicated, so we added some cheddar cheese and ordered them with a side of fries.
As soon as the waiter brought the little beauty out we knew. It sat alone on the plate, but it commanded the table. The patty was at that perfect level of thickness, more on the chunky side of things, just the way I like it. It rest on a bed of lettuce, tomato and some pickles and topped with some of that golden cheddar.
And though I like a generous portion of cheese on my burger which didn’t seem evident, it didn’t matter at that point. Because there was something in the beef that put an end to all those doubts as soon as I locked my fangs into it. It was like finding a long lost love after years of abstinence. I looked over at my man, who had already fallen under its spell and into a coma. Nothing could take him out of it, not even my giant glare signaling him to take it down a notch. Everyone could hear his moans and I was worried they wouldn’t believe this was really about the burger. We wolfed them down in less than ten. We contemplated seconds, but quickly dismissed the urge.
At that point we had completely forgotten about the wide chunky fries. They had just the right amount of crisp in the bite and softness in the core. We dipped them in the homemade ketchup and mayo until we scrapped our plates clean.
For dessert I went for the brownie with pecan nuts and caramel topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The brownie was nothing special, but the ice cream was delectable. I plan on going especially for a shake next time I’m in the neighborhood.
So go ahead, treat yourself to a gourmet burger this weekend, but prepare to splurge, a meal for two (burger fries and a soft drink will cost you around 25-30$ per person. It may not be a filet but trust me, this is not your average burger.
What’s your favorite burger in Beirut?
Check out more Burger Reviews in Beirut below
Burger Nation (closed shop)
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