the essential
Lebanese flavors were invited to Place des Carmes, in Toulouse, this fall, with the opening of the Elissar restaurant. A journey into traditional gastronomy.
Just walk through the door to leave Toulouse and enter Lebanon. The smell of spices, the blue fabrics hanging on the wall, the music… In the room of the Elissar restaurant, Place des Carmes, everything echoes the land of the Cedars. Sari Al Attar, the manager, chose paintings that represent monuments from his native country, which he left in 2005. “When I enter the restaurant, it makes me nostalgic,” he admits. And even more so, when he eats lentil soup, one of his favorite dishes.
On the menu, we find tawouk (marinated chicken), marinated beef shawarma, kebé nayeh (Lebanese tartare)… Traditional dishes cooked by a Lebanese chef who has worked internationally. Sari Al Attar’s objective, when he opened Elissar, was above all to offer a more varied Lebanese restaurant offering. According to him, too many Lebanese restaurants sell “sandwiches”, when there is much more to discover.
“It’s a cuisine that has a lot of taste,” smiles Sabine, sitting at the table with her two friends. “It deserves to be known!” And known to Toulouse residents, wishes Sari Al Attar. “I’ve wanted to open a restaurant in this neighborhood for a while,” he explains. “For me, it’s a bit like the heart of the city, more than the Capitol where there are more tourists.” To adapt to demand, he would like to soon acquire premises next to the restaurant, to develop a catering section.
