With another restaurant opening, there’s no stopping Charles Khabouth. His newest restaurant, Byblos (@ByblosToronto) opened up last week on the first and second floor of the Storys building (@STORYSBuilding) on Duncan Street.
Charles Khabouth restaurants (Patria, La Société and Weslodge to name a few) are always beautifully designed and Byblos is no exception. The first floor features white walls and is bright and airy with the sun shining through the windows. The more formal dining room which has a darker, lounge-y feel, is located on the second floor.
This new restaurant serves up eastern Mediterranean fare with Executive Chef Stuart Cameron in charge. He’s created a menu of unique dishes which are a combination of old and modern eastern Mediterranean elements. The gorgeous menu reads like a magazine and is divided into small plates (all served family-style), large plates, rice and cocktails.
In addition to their delicious plates, they also have an impressive cocktail menu designed by Wes Galloway, the man in charge of the bar program.
I attended Byblos’ media preview where we were given a taste of what the restaurant is all about. Here’s a look at what they’ve got to offer:
Mint Tea
The Ten Suns – green tea-infused Ketel One vodka, lemongrass, ginger, honey syrup, yuzu juice & tincture of cardamom
Date Old Fasioned – Bulleit bourbon, date syrup, house aromatic bitters & tincture of fenugreek, Across the Sea – Moroccan mint tea-infused Captain Morgan light rum, fresh lemon, sugar, house middle east bitters & ginger beer, The Ten Suns – green tea-infused Ketel One vodka, lemongrass, ginger, honey syrup, yuzu juice & tincture of cardamom and Gulab – rose-infused Smirnoff vodka, house pomegranate reduction, fresh lemon & tincture of cardamom
Maple Punch
Organic House Labneh – with fennel, honey, olive oil & house sangak bread
Cheese Acharuli – with a quail egg, bioche & za’atar
Steak Tartare – with chili paste, mint, yoghurt & olive oil on Barbari bread
Duck Kibbeh – with dried fig, tahini sauce & date molasses
Turkish Manti Dumplings – with smoky eggplant, yoghurt sauce & molasses
Spanish Octopus – Turkish spoon salad with pomegranate
I was impressed by the food that came out of Byblos’ kitchen. My personal favourites were the Organic House Labneh, Spanish Octopus and Duck Kibbeh. The labneh (strained yogurt) had a creamy cheese-like consistency and was a delicious bite which paired incredibly well with the honey. They also get bonus points for making all their bread in-house.
The Spanish octopus was wonderfully tender and the pomegranate salad which topped it gave it a nice little pop. As for the duck kibbeh, it might not be the prettiest dish to look at but it makes up for its appearance in flavour. With the duck, figs and molasses, it was a great sweet and savoury combination.
To sum it up, Byblos is a great addition to Khabouth’s ever-growing restaurant empire!
*This was a complimentary meal. The opinions in the post, as always, are my own.*
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