Kubri

Welcome to Kubri, where everything is immaculate, from the decor to the cuisine. Running this picture-perfect spot are two Lebanese expats, Mayfrid and Ingrid Chehlaoui, who entrusted the kitchen to chef Rita Higgins (ex-Baron in Beirut). She aims to elevate Levantine cuisine in their pristine space, which is almost too perfect to be true…. But this sense of austerity melts away once you bite into the kibbeh dipped into homemade hummus dripping with sunshine – and olive oil. What comes next? A series of mezze featuring mouthwatering flavors of the Mediterranean: lovely grilled cabbage head in Aleppo pepper butter, surrounded by crumbled feta, peanuts and pickled apricot; juicy cinnamon-smoked beef cheeks, served with a seven-spice jus and fried beans; sunny red kuri squash with shallot cream, decorated with walnuts, sumac and spinach tempura; before a pear roasted in verjus, covered in ashta cream, caramelized honey and pistachios for dessert. Seen (and immediately regretted not having ordered) on the next table over: Kubri Fried Chicken taken to the next level with the addition of toum (creamy garlic sauce) and a cilantro, chili and peanut salsa. // Louise Delange 

FEELING THIRSTY? Relatively eco-friendly wines, from both France and Lebanon: Vindemiola, a Burgundy Pinot noir from Catherine and Louis Poitout (€8 a bottle), an Angevin Chenin from Loïc Mahé (€33 a bottle), a Lebanese rosé from the Domaine des Tourelles (€33 as well)… 
PRICE: Mezze €9-16, grilled meats €25-26, desserts €9.