Sunday Funday at Gefinor Rotana

I have definitively found Lebanon’s tastiest, fluffiest “sfouf,”
or turmeric sponge cake and, in so doing, stumbled upon one of the best-value
Sunday lunch buffets Beirut has to offer.
Let me unpack that statement bit by bit. My favorite Lebanese dessert isn’t shockingly baklawa, or knefeh, or even 7alewet el jibn. Blasphemous, right? I actually worship the Lent-friendly, yellow-tinted treat called sfouf, not specifically because it’s so darn healthy, unfettered by butter and eggs. That’s just an added bonus. The real reason is in the crumb's consistency: if done right, it’s dense, but not chalky; fluffy, but not airy; sweet, but not decadent. It pairs perfectly with café blanc, tea, and coffee.
I wasn’t actively seeking out sfouf last Sunday at the Gefinor Rotana hotel. In fact, we were enjoying a sumptuous buffet, the kind that requires you fast for at least 16 hours leading up to it. And the first impression as we waltzed down the lobby corridor to Olive Garden, wherein it was ho…
Let me unpack that statement bit by bit. My favorite Lebanese dessert isn’t shockingly baklawa, or knefeh, or even 7alewet el jibn. Blasphemous, right? I actually worship the Lent-friendly, yellow-tinted treat called sfouf, not specifically because it’s so darn healthy, unfettered by butter and eggs. That’s just an added bonus. The real reason is in the crumb's consistency: if done right, it’s dense, but not chalky; fluffy, but not airy; sweet, but not decadent. It pairs perfectly with café blanc, tea, and coffee.
I wasn’t actively seeking out sfouf last Sunday at the Gefinor Rotana hotel. In fact, we were enjoying a sumptuous buffet, the kind that requires you fast for at least 16 hours leading up to it. And the first impression as we waltzed down the lobby corridor to Olive Garden, wherein it was ho…