Tarbush @ Batu Ferringhi, Penang

Tarbush is a Lebanese restaurant that started in KL (as usual) and eventually made it's way to Penang, Batu Ferringhi to be exact :) (next to The Ship) i haven't tried this place before (in KL or in Penang) cause i never heard any of my friends going there, and i wasn't too sure of Lebanese food.. so then recently i got to know from a friend that he went there like twice or so, i thought one day i should pay them a visit. and waaalaaahh!! the foodie of the Dugongs suggested we try this place for our monthly "meeting"... so yeay! managed to try this place out.

*if you don't want to waste time reading the menu and being all confused, here's their online menu or easily, ask one of the waiters to recommend the dishes for you...

the interior was quite nice, it's a fine dining place and yet it's not really a fine dining place.. so it's kinda half half.. if u get what i mean. the service is quite ok, you don't have to "try" to catch their eye if u needed something, so that's a good thing in my books :)

now, because the names of the food is kinda hard to remember, i'll have to refer to their menu and hopefully i can match the names to what we had... bare with me...

this is complimentary

~salted/preserved veg, half of us liked it, half didn't, given with thin naan bread - we were not sure what to do with this AND the naan bread, so we just picked on it.. lol ~

Labneh

~cottage cheese, olive oil, olives, mint - kinda salty-ish, even the cheese-lover was not too keen on it, though one other sort of liked it, me.. not so~

Lamb Soup

~it was curry-like, where it also goes well with rice, quite nice as you can taste the spices and it had good portion of meat~

Ox-tail Soup

~this was LOVELY!!! - big chunk of tendy ox-tail, it had a tinge of cream and again, you could taste the spices, goes well with the complimentary naan - i practically cleaned this bowl!~

Tabouleh
~Ta(k)-boleh for us.. hahha nah, it's very healthy for you - LOTS and i mean LOTS of parsley, tomatoes, cucumber with lemon juice and olive oil, very "greeny" for me, i'd prefer to eat it with rice and other dishes but not as an appetizer/salad dish, but it was ok, u'll get used to it ;) ~

Dawood Basha
~meatballs with tomato gravy - nothing to shout about, there's a hint of spice and chilly and the meatballs are nice and tender, abit small though~

Tarbush Mixed Grill & Shish Kebab
~the mixed grill has chicken, lamb and beef (i believe), stuffed minced meat naan and cream (or was it yogurt/cheese dip?) and the kebab, if u see the menu has different, but similar shish kebab, not sure which one we took - the smell was great, meat was tender, just lovely!!~

Biryani Rice
~rice cooked with many types of herbs and spices, nice but could have been softer/fluffier~

Cheese Naan

~i can't seem to find this on the online menu, so i'm not sure what's it called, anyway it's naan with cheese stuffing, lovely, u can eat it on its own or with the other dishes that you ordered, just nice, not too strong, not too mild~

Maklouba Lamb
~i think it's what we ordered.. heheh.. the meat was really tender, falling off from the bone, taste wise not too strong, just nice, the rice too, was cooked with special herbs and spices, goes well with the cream based dip and the salad that came with it was fresh too (it had some seasoning), nice hearty meal for an individul, though it can be shared with 2+ people if your stomachs are small~

Arabic Coffee and Tea
~nice finish to a very hearty and meaty meal, though the coffee was something different, really thick and had spices in it, depending on ones taste buds, you may or may like the coffee. however the tea, was lovely!! the tea was brewed with a hint of mint so it had a mild minty taste :) ~

Baklawa
~ pastry with nuts - famous middle-eastern dessert, i kinda like it IF its not too sweet, but it usually is, so for those with a very sweet tooth, u'll like it :) ~

Mahalabia
~Mahal-labia, that's what we call it! hehehe - it's milk cream pudding with a hint of jasmine (scent) and pistachio nuts, i love it, very creamy yet light and not very sweet as well, it somewhat removes the meaty taste from your mouth to a lovely finish to the dinner - YUM!!~

so that's all folks, that's all we had for our dinner - 5 of us came up to abour Rm200+ or so. i think the price, looking at the location (tourist destination) and the interior and service would contribute to the above average pricing. lovely place for family/friends gathering for special occations or simply to cari makan like us! :D yup, if u're fedup with the usuals, try Tarbush, Lebanese food!