Let me take you on a tour to a place where streets are made of surprising flavors and welcoming smells. Streets you can eat and share. Literally, food streets.
This trip started nearly two decades ago when I began working in a professional kitchen.
I carried with me all the Lebanese cooking traditions, passed on dearly by my Mother. I’m the youngest in the family, so I was fortunate to be with her the longest. This took a big impact on my culinary skills, from farming to cooking, all the way to exploring unique processes, such as fermenting (of jams, pickles, pastes, you name it).
I moved on, searching for new things along the way, working in several luxury hotel and leading restaurant in the Middle East and Gulf area. After 20 years of collaborating with and learning from amazing experts, a question in my mind started to become more and more frequent:
“What if my next kitchen was my own? A place where Lebanese food could evolve into something new and fresh.”
Despite all doubts, fears, and misplaced assumptions, I decided to move forward and started to think about the next question - “Where?” The main criteria was simple - the best ingredients would decide the location. So I traveled a lot, crossing Europe, searching for the best place to settle the restaurant. I can’t count the number of times I tried different ingredients, in a quest to find the best ones to match with the Lebanese counterparts and make them shine even more. And then I found Portugal.
This Mediterranean country, in many ways similar to Lebanon, proved to be perfect due to the quality of the ingredients. These fresh produce, herbs, and spices would complement perfectly the Lebanese dishes, taking them to the next level. Tomatoes are a good example. I just love tomatoes. I used to see our grandfather mixing Mountain Tomatoes with Garlic and Sumac powder with our tiger milk Arak liquor. Could this ever be improved? Why not? Just so you know, Portuguese tomatoes made our tabbouleh next level. Coriander is another perfect case. Coriander goes with most of our food. And the one I found here makes me believe that the land in Portugal is nothing short of amazing.
After all the visits to the country, I’ve decided to come along with my dear family for this new journey to Lisbon. Life partners and industry experts, all together. What more could I ask for? Our signature, homemade lemonade and cocktails show some of this combined magic.
From Lebanon to the entire Middle East and Gulf, from across Europe to Lisbon, this is where the journey ends. Or starts a new one? Who knows...
I feel honored to be able to share my vision of Lebanese Street Food with my beloved guests at Olá Beirut.
Forget all you know about Lebanese food. This is a new twist. A fresh fusion of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean/ Atlantic flavors, a mix of Beirut and Lisbon. Simply put, a nice conversation about food and how it can bring people closer and closer, merging differences and discovering new and exciting things together.
Shukran, Obrigado Osman Tay
Tel: +351 960 327 784
Everyday from 9am to 3pm | 6pm to 1am
Closed on Sundays.
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