Damascus Gate

I used to regularly buy those Groupon, Grabone, Dealrush vouchers. At the beginning they were a bargain nowadays, the choice is just too wide and after too many bad experiences I have stopped buying them. Really it's my own fault I think I have loads of time to use them and then bang, the time is up!! Recently I made an exception to my rule in the form of a Menupages voucher for Damascus Gate. I had read a lot of great reviews about it so thought why not give it a go. The voucher was €35 for three courses and turned out to be a bargain in the end!

Damascus Gate specializes in Syrian and Lebanese food and is run by the same people who manage Little Jerusalem in Rathmines. The interior is bright and airy with rich red walls and the owners are going for a typical Middle Eastern vibe. I was convinced by the decor but I have never been to the Middle East so who am I to judge! Personally the tables were too close together for me and weren't the most comfortable either.

The voucher allowed us to choose anything we wanted off the menu so for starters I went for the Arays Tadmor which was a pitta bread filled with minced beef, onion and tomato sauce. I love pittas and they are a lunch staple so this was a nice change to how I usually eat them. It wasn’t as heavy as it looks and it made for a delicious starter. Maya went for the Falafel and Hummus purely on the basis that she had never had them before. She found them a bit tasteless and dry but enjoyed the accompanying hummus.

Arays Tadmor

Falafel and Hummus

For our mains I went for the Moussakaat Batenjan Bealmeh. This was baked and seasoned aubergine and lamb pieces slow cooked with tomato and chickpea. The lamb and aubergine worked well together though the sauce itself was a little thin. I loved the rice though which was subtly flavoured Maya chose the Mansaf Dajaj which was chicken served with yogurt, fresh pomegranate seeds and nuts and served with saffron rice. While the dish looked great the sauce was flavourless and was basically just a juicy chicken fillet. 

Moussakaat Batenjan Bealmeh

Mansaf Dajaj

For dessert I opted for the Baklava which came with four different versions all of which were flaky, full of honey goodness and delicious. Maya went for a fig type dessert which tasted grand but was nothing special even though it looked lovely. 

Baklava

 

Overall the food here is just ok apart from my starter which I would eat again in a heartbeat and would happily substitute my chicken and lettuce filled lunch pittas for! Our meal was paid for by the voucher which was bought for €35 otherwise I think the pricing of the menu would have been on the high side. It is also a BYOB which does help to offset the cost of the meal. Will I be back? I’m not sure, though if I am my meal will consist of that pitta and baklava!

Damascus Gate: 10 Upper Camden Street, Dublin 2 
Telephone: 01 4752000