Japanese Margarita & Co.: Caprice getaway

A long lining of giant white flowerpots filled with lemon trees leads you to Caprice’s pink door.

Inside, the different open-air seating areas and the smell of the nearby sea gives the place an outlandish look and feel. A couple of colorful bars, several lounge areas, and dinner tables are comfortably spaced out. The barman suggests an unusual drink and shows me a mind blowing-bottle full of long red chili peppers: Japanese margarita, made out of chili infused sake! It turns out to be a very interesting taste of fresh lime, agave syrup and Cointreau. The Asian fusion menu offers a majority of fish and seafood dishes, but also a few other options, such as the five-spice chicken or the grilled beef medallions.

The starters include the likes of shrimp dumplings served with three dipping sauces, dim sum style, or the prawn tempura, which came in small finger food size, along with the unshakable edamame. The service was great, attentive, lighthearted and smiley. The bartenders made good suggestions, taking into account our tastes, chosen dishes, and mood of the day.

As we switched to main courses the barman suggested the ‘Gold Cup’ to go with some of the sweet and sour mains: fresh thyme, Smirnoff black vodka, mango and orange juice topped with Perrier. The brie salad was a delicious mix of grapes, peach, walnuts, mesclun, and vinaigrette dressing. The noodle dish with vegetables and baby prawn was a generous serving of a great mix of fresh harvests. It was quite refreshing to get rich portions of what matters the most: several pieces of good brie rather than a ton of salad with a couple of average brie toppings, or a rich noodle mix, rather than a ton of noodles with a few additions, which, let’s face it, is what we often get around town..

I would have preferred a bit more seasoning with the salad and noodles though, since the different dressings and sauces on the menu are so well thought of, such as the peanut sauces, the zesty dips, etc. Had I capriciously asked for more, I am sure that they would have happily obliged. A nice change in terms of taste and location, to get away from the beaten path.

Address: Seaside Road, Jal el Dib

Average price for dinner: 30 dollars

Dress code: Casual

Phone: +961 70 220 223

Email: info@add-mind.com