Leading Spanish property El Palace Barcelona has unveiled a new seasonal rooftop concept, El Jardín Libanés, in time for the summer travel season.
The Lebanese garden pop-up restaurant is curated in collaboration with Chef Paul Haddad and will run each evening through to the end of September.
The rooftop terrace has been transformed into a setting inspired by traditional Lebanese gardens, featuring fragrant orange blossom and jasmine in full bloom. These plants hold cultural significance in Lebanon, where orange blossom symbolises purity and prosperity and jasmine is often planted in archways. At El Palace, jasmine has been used to frame rooftop views of the Sagrada Familia.
The pop-up centres on a menu developed by Chef Paul Haddad, who brings over 30 years of culinary and hospitality experience in Beirut and Barcelona. Born and raised in Beirut, Haddad draws on generations of family recipes to present a contemporary interpretation of Lebanese cuisine that remains grounded in authenticity and traditional methods.
Guests can expect a wide range of mezze, or traditional sharing plates, in keeping with Lebanese dining customs. Dishes include houmous, moutabal, mouhamara, crudités, tabbouleh, fattoush, falafel with tahini, cheese ribak, kébbe kraás, spinach fatayer, and traditional Lebanese bread.
Two tasting menus are available. La Mezza del Chef includes a grilled selection of kebabs such as shish taouk, lahem meshwi, kafta, sijouk, lamb ribs, and grilled vegetables. La Mezza del Cedro offers samke harra, a traditional fish dish of roasted sea bass with tomato, spices, almonds, and pine nuts, served with cumin-scented basmati rice and crispy pita.
Each menu concludes with a trio of classic Lebanese desserts: baklawa soirée, a nut-filled pastry with syrup and honey; mahmoul de pistacho, a semolina and pistachio biscuit flavoured with rose water; and mohalabihe, a milk pudding topped with walnuts.
El Jardín Libanés offers both an immersive cultural setting and a menu designed to celebrate the depth of Lebanese culinary heritage, with seating available nightly throughout the summer.
