La Petite Maison Beirut

For those of you familiar with La Petite Maison (LPM) in the South of France or its sister branch in Dubai, you can imagine the excitement when the third outlet opened right here in Beirut in April 2013. The buzz was well-deserved. Combining the best fresh seasonal ingredients, the cuisine is an inspired- yet wonderfully simple- interpretation of French Mediterranean and Niçoise cuisine (Niçoise comes from the city of Nice, in case you’re wondering).The end-result is a delicious blend of the above-mentioned cuisine with that of neighboring Liguria in Italy.

Recently relocated to the downtown, the venue is both grand and minimalistic. Taking the purist approach in cuisine, service and design, we weren’t surprised – in fact we were kind of thrilled- to note the signature lemon/tomato/olive oil on the tables. Keep in mind, only a few pivotal tables overlook the sea so be sure to ask for those if you are celebrating a special occasion. The service is attentive, the staff knowledgeable.

The restaurant’s motto is “Tous Celebres Ici” aka “all are famous here”. And LPM delivers. Weary of the fools, hypocrites and all'round unworthy being treated like celebrities in Beirut? (that’s a story for another day but we hear you). Come by LPM. You’ll be treated the way you deserve. We could write a whole column on the food but suffice to say it is every bit as delicious as you would expect, especially the starters (our advice: forego mains all together and order all the starters you can muster!). In brief, there’s nothing “petite” about the dining experience at La Petite Maison (that includes the check as I’m sure you would have guessed by now). Go big or go home!