(Reviewed as part of a press visit - see disclaimer)
There are a lot of great things to shout out about in Southampton and the fabulous foodie scene we have is definitely one of them. Last summer, I was invited to try out Beity and completely fell in love, so much so I've been back a few more times since so it was about time I put something out there with a little more detail.
Beity Restaurant is a family-run Lebanese restaurant serving the most beautifully authentic food - found on Southampton's High Street or the more commonly known QE2 Mile, it has to be on your must-visit list.
As soon as you walk through the door the atmosphere is warm and welcoming - the word Beity means My Home in Arabic and the family behind the restaurant like to think that they're welcoming you into their home which is a lovely sentiment and something I found to be true upon each of my visits.
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Voted TripAdvisor Traveller's Choice Award, their philosophy has always been honest, authentic food and oh is it a dream to eat! Lebanese cuisine is steeped in ancient roots with many of the dishes being traced back thousands of years. It's my favourite way to eat - starches, fruits, vegetables, fresh fish and seafood; with animal fats only consumed sparingly.
I'm usually a bit dubious of extensive menus but as the way of eating is plenty of small plates and dips, it works really well. I could happily live on a diet of pittas, dips and salads! We started with cold starters of hoummos, bamieh, moutabal and pittas followed by hot starters of falafel, batata harra, halloumi, soujok and kallaj.
Moutabal is grilled smoked aubergine puree, sesame sauce, lemon juice, olive oil and pomegranate which is served with Lebanese bread and hands down the best thing I've ever tried. So much so, I went home with a huge tub and more bread to have at home, I was pregnant at the time and couldn't get enough of it!
The bamieh, moutabal and kallaj are all dishes we've ordered on repeat visits - SO good!
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As we were there to get a feel for the menu and food, most if not all of what we ordered was recommended and made by the team so we were really able to get a taste of their most-loved dishes. We left our main meal in the hands of the chef and he came out with their mixed grill full of charcoal-grilled Kafta, Shish Taouk chicken and Lahem Meshwe lamb with sides of salad, fries and rice.
Everything was just bursting full of flavour, the meat was delicious and we ended up being as stuffed as their stuffed vines (which are also delicious by the way!). To finish, we ordered some baklawa - five pieces of layered pastries stuffed with almonds, pistachios, pine nuts and kernels.
It was such an incredible meal, thoroughly enjoyable and the portions were huge! I went home with so much leftover food to eat in the days coming.
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I wasn't sure what to expect when we first walked in but we were totally blown away and it completely exceeded the expectations I did have. It was just a really lovely dining experience, the servers were so friendly and helpful and the food was incredible. As I've mentioned, we've been back a few times already and ordered takeaway from there too, it's just such a great all-round experience.
You can make a booking by calling 02380 320760 or by heading to their website beityrestaurant.co.uk - I promise you, you won't be disappointed.
