Catch of the Season: Deek Duke's Divine Grilled Fish

One of the things I love best about the Lenten season is the renunciation of options. Let me explain.

For the past two years, I’ve decided to forego meat—and by meat, I mean all poultry, beef, lamb, and charcuterie—during this seven-week period. Apart from the spiritual symbolism surrounding such a sacrifice, one could argue that this is a physical cleansing, neutralizing and eliminating toxins from the body.

Beyond that, it’s almost a relief knowing your feeding options are so limited and borderline austere. Pulses, leafy greens, fish, pasta, rice, and root vegetables form the core of the Lenten diet, in rejection of the protein-rich sources our Lebanese cuisine and culture has accustomed us to. 

Grilled marinated Pollock fish with a baked potato half and veggies


I love walking into a restaurant, picking up a menu, and quickly scanning the items for a permissible dish. What a relief not having to be torn between the wine-doused filet mignon and the curry chicken. 

 If you go a step further and abstain from sweets too, you obliterate indecisiveness altogether. Such mindless, or mindful, eating, however way you choose to look at it, strips you of gluttonous tendencies and casts food as mere fuel, not indulgence. The ultimate catharsis for a foodie, I'd say!
Leafy green salads like Deek Duke's Santorini (14,250 LL)
are fair game during the meatless season


Now normally during Lent, I’d stray away from diners like Deek Duke, whose end-all be-all is the glorious chicken. But when I dish-spotted their grilled fish platter on social media, I knew I had to reel it in.

Served exclusively during Lent, this main is worth every lira, 24,500 to be exact. Two generous fillets of Pollock, a mild-flavored white fish with a delicate and flaky texture, are rubbed with fresh herbs and garlic before being thrown on the grill. A baked potato half with a buttery consistency as well as an assortment of half-crisp veggies round out the meal.



That's a marvelous helping!


If your appetite is ravenous, I can’t recommend Deek Duke’s seasonal soup (6,500 LL) enough, which is a seemingly bottomless bowl of creamy broccoli. I admit the goldenrod hue doesn’t strike the eye as pleasing, but this potage is soul food. Don’t hesitate to lift the bowl to your lips, tilt your head back, and slurp down that goodness.
Seasonal veggie soup heavy on broccoli


I’m not sure why fish always puts me in the mood for dessert, so Deek Duke’s Oreo mud pie (9,250 LL) swimming in chocolate and caramel sauces fit the bill. A couple spoonfuls, and your palate will be cleansed and absolved!

Oreo Delight


Just a heads up: the grilled fish platter and battered fish burger (14,500 LL) are uniquely available through Lent. This year, that’s a 12-week stretch thanks to the 5-week offset between Catholic and Orthodox Easters. Agreeing to disagree has never been so rewarding!
Deek Duke locations:
Achrafieh - Charles Malek Ave.
Le Mall Dbayeh
City Mall Dora
Hamra - Hamra Street

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