Bourj Al Hamam - Traditional Lebanese Meze And Grill
Amman, Jordan
Cuisine Style: Lebanese / Levant
Average Price: $$$
Overall Rating: 4/5
Article updated: November 7, 2018
By Sean Overpeck (CFE)
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Wine, Dine, and Play are in the pages section above, or by following these links:
Bourj Al Hamam Executive Chef:
Yousef
The Intercontinental Hotel in Amman Jordan has five restaurants or cafes with a range of cuisine from European to Central American, and of course the Levant. The Bourj al Hamam focuses on the Lebanese centric side of Levant cuisine, which the concierge recommend to me. I was on a three day trip to Jordan and had just returned from a day trip to Petra. The atmosphere was extremely opulent. Fine décor, tables set elegantly, and a friendly welcoming environment regardless of where you are from.
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| Bourj Al Hamam / Dining Room |
My Captain server was Jamal, and his assistant was Mr. Ali, and both were not only to the highest standard in culinary wait professionalism, but their level of English was superb, and their knowledge and love of the food industry reminded me when I learned to serve and Captain in restaurants.
Bourj Al Hamam Menu:
- Cold Hors D’oeuvres
- Soups
- Hot Hors D’oeuvres
- From the Fryer
- From the Grill
- Seafood
- Specialties of the House
- Desserts
The Restaurant Manager wanted me to try a variety, which is exactly what I had in mind, so based on a simple starting conversation he knew which direction menu wise to take me on. He recommended assorted hot and cold starter plates or meze dishes, and let me tell you, the Gastric experience began. I felt like I was in heaven. I began with a local Shiraz from Jordan River Wines by the Haddad family, whose history in wine goes back to the 1950s, but the overall history as a winemaking a region for Jordan which goes back to the Romans.
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| Bourj Al Hamam / Jordan River Wines |
The first course presented to me was a bowl of Jordanian Desert Olives immersed in an olive juice and hot green pepper sauce. A nice difference compared to Iraqi cuisine to which has some spice and flavor, but they prefer to avoid the hotter spices.
The second dish was the meze plate consisting of a chickpea hummus with home-made white pita, moutabbal aborigine dip, tabbouleh which was a parsley, tomato, lemon rind, and olive oil blend, served on a romaine sprig, which was a perfect palate cleanser for the other starters. Next to the fattoush salad was a blend of vegetables and olives with lemon dressing, and on the hot side a Rkak, which is a deep-fried spring roll stuffed with a brie Cheese…it was fabulous. Then there was a sambousek meat pie, not my favorite item on the plate, but okay. Finally closing out the meze dish was a vegetarian Wara’ Enab also spelled Warak Enab, which can be a vegetable blend medley like this one or stuffed with lamb, rolled up in vine leaves. The entire dish was a dream. The Wara’ Enab, in my opinion, needed some salt and pepper for flavor as the nutmeg and cinnamon flavor was very mild from the recipe, but by far the moutabble aborigine dip was the best item on the plate.
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| Bourj Al Hamam /A meze of cold hors d'oeurves |
For the second dish I enjoyed a glass of Pinot Noir from the Petra Valley called St. Georges. It was lite, very similar to a Sonoma County Russian River Pinot, and given time could pack a punch similar to a Willamette or Burgundy Pinot.
The entree course spoke for itself. It was a plate of fried red mullet (snapper) fish, known as Sultan Ibrahim who ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1640 until 1648. It was served over a bed of fried home-made pita bread. After removing the head, tail, and backbone, the fish was served with a parsley tarator dip. Now, this was different from the typical Bosnian tarator that I have had and made in the past, it did not contain cucumber. It was strictly garlic and water emulsified in olive oil with the fresh parsley. It added wonderful flavor to the fish.
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| Bourj Al Hamam / Red Mullet |
The Chef de cuisine for the Bourj Al Hamam was Mr. Yousef and he was assisted by his Sous Chef Mr. Ziad, and both were friendly and open to the critic that I offered. The Intercontinental Hotel should be proud to have such a professional staff in one of its restaurants, and I highly recommend this traditional restaurant to any visitor to Amman in the future. As a warning to non-smokers, there is not a non-smoking section and as traditional to the Jordanian public upon request was a hookah consisting of an apple flavor smoke that has the equivalent of enough nicotine as a pack of 20 cigarettes. The best part is that if people smoke next to you it smells like smoked applewood, not a cigarette, so try it if you wish, but if your not a smoker, you are in for a surprise.
Bourj Al Hamam Desserts:
Finally for dessert which was recommended by Mr. Jamal being the Osmalieh, a traditional Arabic sweet stuffed cream topped with pistachio and fried crisps. It is also called a Kunāfah which I had several samples of when I visited the Qwaider AlNabulsi Sweets and Restaurant in Deira, Dubai. The dessert was served with a very strong Turkish Coffee that kept me awake long enough to write this review!!
Please see these guidelines for Tipping in Restaurants and on following proper etiquette, customs, cultures, and avoiding assumptions when you dine out.
Other Noteworthy “Lebanese or Levant Articles and Restaurants similar to Bourj Al Hamam:
Levantine cuisine is the traditional cuisine of the Levant, known in Arabic as the Bilad ash-Sham and Mashriq. This region shared many culinary traditions with Ottoman cuisine before and during the Turkish-Ottoman Empire, and it continues to carry an influentially mainstream character in a majority of the dishes today. It is found in the modern states of Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Syria, and parts of southern Turkey.
Al Tawasol Restaurant Yemeni Cuisine featuring Mandi in Deira Dubai, UAE
Café Arabesque Contemporary Middle Eastern and Levant buffet in the Hyatt Park, Dubai, UAE
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Enigma Restaurant Turkish culinary journey with a European twist In Dubai, UAE
Other Amman restaurants and articles on Wine Dine and Play:
Sufra Restaurant Traditional and Authentic Jordanian Cuisine in Amman, Jordan
Petra One of the seven wonders of the world, part of the old Nabataeans kingdom, Wadi Musa, Jordan
Final notes, review basics, observations, and more pictures:
Most reviews are subjective, depending on the writer; but they should also be responsible, and respectfully written, upholding the truth, and accurately conveying the experience to the best of the writer's knowledge, even if it includes metaphors the restaurant may not like to read about. My ratings are by the stars I award (from 0 to 5). The rating is calculated on a point accumulation of six separate factors based on individual experience. They include wine and other beverage selections, plate presentation, customer service, restaurant or café ambiance, food quality, and wow factor. To see more details of this rating list, read this article:
Scores are detailed in the chart below
Formula Factor Conclusions and Overall Ratings for Bourj Al Hamam
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Max Points Possible:
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Total Points Awarded:
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Total Points deducted:
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Ambiance
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9.5
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8.5
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1
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Food quality
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8
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7
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1
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Plate presentation
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8.5
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7.5
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1
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Customer service
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9.5
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7
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2.5
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Alcohol and other beverages
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5
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3
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2
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Total regular points awarded
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40.5
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33
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7.5
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Total percentage Of Bonus
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0.814814814814815
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“Wow” factor BONUS
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5
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2.5
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Total bonus percentage
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0.0617283950617284
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Total percentage of a bonus for the final star rating
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0.876543209876543
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Stars Awarded (see chart below)
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0 - 5
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4
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**A full break down and explanation of the observations and point disbursement is available in the linked article above. To receive a detailed copy of your score, feel free to contact me at any time and I will provide it to you.**
***
Overall Star Rating:
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4 of 5 Stars:
88% Rating with a 2.5 point “wow” bonus
An Outstanding Dining Experience
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Bourj Al Hamam Wine rating:
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3 of 10
Old World selections:
France, Jordan, Lebanon, Spain
New World selections:
Argentina, Australia
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Corkage fee’s:
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This Restaurant does not list any corkage fee’s however, most American restaurants charge $25.00 per bottle
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Restaurant style:
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Conservative dining
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Cuisine style at Bourj Al Hamam:
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Arabic, Lebanese, Levant, Mediterranean, Meze, Middle Eastern
Allergen or dietary accommodations:
Gluten-Free, Halal, Low Carb, Pescatarian, Vegan options, Vegetarian
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Reservations:
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Not Required
Walk-Ins:
Accepted, but not guaranteed
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Dress code:
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Business casual or smart casual attire
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Child policy:
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The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a kids menu or cater to them; however, for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended that kids not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette.
If not then:
Hire a Babysitter!
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Experiences:
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Place for foodies, Contemporary, Modern, Business parties, Romantic, Good for special occasions, Beautiful décor, Classy, Upscale, and a Neighborhood Gem.
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Payments:
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Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
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Parking:
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Bourj Al Hamam excepts valet or hotel parking
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Wifi
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The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
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Noise level:
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Low
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Smoking:
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WARNING: Bourj al Hamam is a smoking restaurant
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Patio or terrace:
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No
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Food Prices
(excludes, alcohol, taxes & 20% gratuity’s)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00 (inexpensive)
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00 (moderate)
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00 (pricy)
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00 (expensive)
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00 (very expensive)
**Currencies reflect the world’s major travelers, restaurant, or wine connoisseur’s**
Currency:
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Price
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Jordanian Dinar (JOD)
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دينار
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United States Dollar (USD)
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$$$
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Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
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£££
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Canadian Dollar (CAN)
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$$$$
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Chinese Yuan (CNY)
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¥¥¥¥¥
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European Union (EUR)
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€€€
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Bourj Al Hamam:
Intercontinental Hotel
Queen Zein Street
3rd Circle
Amman, Jordan
Contact Information:
Restaurant website:
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Maître d or host:
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+962 6 4641361
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Serving hours:
Jordan Standard Time
(GMT, Zulu, or UTC - BST Offset + 2:00 or +3:00 DST)
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Daily: Mon-Sun
1:00 pm - 12:00 am
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Social Media
And
Accolades for Bourj Al Hamam:
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****
The worlds best restaurants is a subjective list of who is writing it and changes on a regular basis. The Wine Dine and Play best experiences are based on my highest rated stared restaurants, meaning that the visit was an outstanding or extraordinary experience. From cafés, chains, mom + pops, hole in the walls, to fine dining including a few Michelin spots. Visit the Top 100 page to see the entire list.
A few to tease you with…
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Haute French Restaurant
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Dublin, Ireland
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Contemporary, African-French Tasting Journey
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Highly creative new American molecular gastronomy tasting menus
Chicago, Illinois, USA
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Other Bourj Al Hamam Pictures:
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| Bourj Al Hamam / Hotel Entrance |
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| Bourj Al Hamam / A picture with the Chef's, service, and management staff |
“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
Who is John Galt?
TTFN
