Happy patrons sharing mezze plates. Photos: Zachary Griffith.
My food budget is getting a massive overhaul this year. I am targeting my impulse hangry purchases by doing meal prep.
I also want to embrace Meatless Monday in a more intentional way than just throwing some token veggies into the air fryer.
Going meatless at least one day a week promises a fibre-rich, gut-inflammation-neutralising and cholesterol-zapping boost to my diet. Yes, please!
I was recently chatting about this with my friend Chantelle Tannous from Bar Beirut and she said: “We get a lot of folk coming to us for their meatless night of the week because they feel uninspired about meat-free cooking at home.”
I checked out the meatless section of Bar Beirut’s menu, and my budget-conscious foodie son and I decided to go there for some Meatless Monday inspiration.
My favourite cocktail – The Beirut Express. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
Because Bar Beirut is not open on Mondays, we are conducting our meatless recon on a Thursday evening.
Dinner starts with my favourite cocktail, The Beirut Express: pure agave Espolon Tequila Blanco, Chartreuse and fresh lime juice, with a crust of house-made smoked salt around the glass rim. The smoke and spice and tang of the salty rim enhance the refreshing summery sweetness of the cocktail. My son’s Virgin mojito looks exquisite, packed with ice, lime and muddled mint.
We start with baba ghanouj and its deep, ash-hued folds of smoky umami studded with sweet pomegranate jewels that we scoop up with soft flatbread. Eggplant is my favourite vegetable and this dish serves it up delectably.
Eggplant adorned with grilled mushrooms, lentils, and zhoug on a bed of labneh. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
We have heard about chef Mags Hamilton’s bestselling honey-grilled halloumi. When it arrives, we tuck right in. Sweet, sticky slabs of halloumi, fried golden and ambrosial! Chewy bulgar grains and tart pops of pomegranate bolster the dish, which is on a bed of labneh. We enjoy the mix of textures and the subtle hit of chilli.
Our other starter, the three-cheese rakakats, are crisp dukkha-dusted pastry cigars with spice-infused molten cheese filling.
I’m not a big tabbouli fan and always omit it when I get a Middle Eastern wrap. This is because of the large quantities of parsley, but I truly enjoy Bar Beirut’s tabbouli, which is light and minty bulgur tossed with finely chopped onion and tomato.
Mags Hamilton’s bestselling honey-grilled halloumi. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
The eggplant dish is substantial. Blistered outside, its tender grilled flesh adorned with grilled mushrooms, lentils and zhoug on a bed of labneh is such a treat to eat. With all the textures going on and the soft labneh and mouthfuls of coriander-infused pesto-adjacent zhoug, it is a beautiful mix of umami, sweet and salty. We demolish every bite.
Though our tummies are filling, we finish our delicious dinner with fig and date cake that is deep and dark and packed with nuts, soaked in Amara glaze topped with nuts and a luxurious whisky cream.
Every meatless bite has been delightful, and we are inspired to create our own Meatless Monday dinners!
If Meatless Mondays are part of your 2025, Beirut Bar is a fantastic place to discover how adventurous and exotic vegetable dishes can be – but not on a Monday!
Bar Beirut is located at 25 Garema Place in Civic. It is open from 5:00 pm to 2:00 am from Tuesday through Saturday. To keep up with Bar Beirut’s latest creations, follow them on Facebook or Instagram, or visit their website for more information.
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