From the group behind Patria is Byblos - one of the "best new restaurants of 2014". Made my way here on Tuesday night for my first time having Eastern Mediterranean food. With ingredients sourced from Isreal, Morocco and Turkey, many dishes incorporate yogurt, dukkah and molasses. The underground space reminds me of Portland Variety, but brighter. 

Roasted Red Beets - pistachio, caraway, labneh, barbari bread

Loved the barbari bread!! Crusty and chewy, love the dukkah topping ~ a fragrant blend of hazelnut and sesame. Less impressed with the beets, but I did like the yogurt and honey.

 Lamb ribs

*Best of the night!* Meat was super melt-in-your-mouth, fall-off-the-bone tender and soft, with dukkah crust complimented by the sweet carob molasses at the bottom and a hint of spice from red chili.

Turkish Manti Dumplings - smokey eggplant, yogurt sauce, molasses

Really like the texture of the dumpling skin. Can't taste the filling is mashed eggplant, so even non-eggplant lovers can try this one! I just thought there was too much molasses, too sweet. 

Sweet Jeweled Basmati Rice - carrot, saffron, barberries, almonds

A loose, long grain rice, it was definitely different from the white rice I'm used to. I like the sweet barberries and the crispy dried carrot is something new.

Crispy Squid

Least favorite; did not like the texture of the squid.

Spanish Octopus - Turkish spoon salad, pomegranate

I had actually meant to order this instead of the crispy squid... The octopus was in bite size pieces, a bit tough/chewy in texture, maybe different cooking method/species? The spoon salad was like salsa, very refreshing with a hint of spice, constrast with the sweet crunch of pomegranate.

Burnt Honey Ice Cream 

Small portion. Texture was kind of melty; flavor was bursting with honey, very sweet yet addictive. I I liked the honey crisp on top (like sponge toffee).

Hibiscus Rose Tea

Sweet teas are not my cup of tea but this was very fragrant and soothing. 

Overall enjoyed my experience at Byblos. Service was generally attentive ie. they cleaned our dishes after the first two appetizer courses, cleaned the crumbs off the table. Food was good and worth a try for a more "exotic" experience but $60 pp is quite expensive!!