So the other day, we had the pleasant experience of visiting the Qibara Restaurant situated in the Seeb Market. It was only by chance that we stumbled upon this little place and believe me when we say this, we knew it would be epic just by seeing the exterior. This market is filled with a stretch of old local shops, so the dark and almost attractive exterior of Qibara was certainly out of place there.

 

Enough of the exterior. Now let’s get in.

INTERIOR

 

A tall, rustic wooden door leads the way in to a dimly lit, spacious place that channels a very rustic vibe. Their cutlery is unique, stylish and oh so heavy! Before the waiter even arrives with the menu, you are sure to fall in love with the place.

 

OUR FOOD

STARTERS AND DRINKS

We were presented with spiced popcorns as a complementary starter.

We then went ahead and ordered a selection of cold mixed mezzeh and Qibara fries.

Cold Mixed Mezzeh

 

(left) Mango Cinnamon Chill, (right) Lemon Mint Mojito

 

Qibara Fries

 

The starters were all extremely yummy. The regular hummus had every flavour very balanced and the garlic hummus was absolute love!

The Mojito was good, however, being lovers of cinnamon, the Mango Cinnamon Chill wasn’t exactly a decadent mix.

 

MAINS

The selection of main course on our table was: Slow Cooker Chicken Breast, Pad Thai and Mixed Grill.

 

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN BREAST

 

This was DEELISH! So tender, juicy and flavourful! Served with a decent helping of vegetables, this was perfectly healthy and scrumptious feast.

 

PAD THAI

Okay, so this probably wasn’t the most authentic Pad Thai we have had, but it wasn’t too bad.

 

MIXED GRILL

This was a treat to gobble up! So juicy and packed with flavours, this dish came a side of french fries, bread and yogurt.

Too good to talk about without drooling a little? Definitely.

 

OVERALL RATING

We were very happy with our meals. The portion size was pretty decent and after our food and drinks, we were stuffed to our necks to have desert. We have got it on our list to someday satisfy our sweet tooth with some of their selection of desert, because it looked pretty neat.

All in all, we loved the experience. The staff was friendly, the service was good, the ambience, the food, everything was lovely.

Only complaint we had was the smell. Since it was all wood on the inside, there was a certain smell that kept bothering our nostrils throughout. It was probably not as pungent but it was there, nonetheless. We would appreciate it if they had some sort of light fragrance flowing in the place.

7/10 from us, especially because we love appreciating local talent. Also, it was very pretty on the inside.

Would definitely recommend heading to this local hidden gem.