Griva Digeni 16, 22581521, LEFKOSIA (NICOSIA)
Mon-Sun 10:00-22:00
What assisted my “eating like there is no tomorrow” behaviour during the holiday season was the fact that I said to myself I would start dieting as of 2nd of January to burn all the extra Christmas calories. On the 4th of the month,
right when my diet effects started kicking in the first serious obstacle appeared in front of me. One could say I was asking for it with my visit to the new Lebanese sweet shop in the centre of the capital, I just hadn’t realized then how badly my “diet” would be disrupted after that.
It might be less than 20square meters in size but it doesn’t matter. The amount and variety of Lebanese sweets one can find in this little shop is more than sufficient. You might be able to sneak a peek of the lovely decorated trays while driving on the busy street, but it is only when you enter that you will realize firstly what a tidy, clean and pretty little shop it is, and secondly the large selection that is available.
Apart from the standard Lebanese baklava with all types of nut combinations (pine nuts, cashews, walnuts and pistachios) you can find a selection of Bukaj (the little bowl with nuts nested inside it), Osh El Bulbul which is the little “bird nest” looking like cooked “kataifi” and of course a list of the traditional Mamoul. Together with Asabi, a crunchy and perfectly sweet cylindrical baklava with pine nuts and cashews, Osh El Bulbul was my favourite. The most special and actually included in the favourites list was the Borma, with a darker brown crunchy crust and a sweet aromatic taste of syrup and pistachios. In addition to the fact that it 
takes the longest to prepare, it has to be deep fried for 30 minutes and it is to-die for (and truly worth the calorie intake!).
It is worth mentioning that all the ingredients (including the butter, flour) and even the boxes are imported from Lebanon as the owners and the Lebanese chefs did not want to risk quality to be compromised by local ingredients (not because they are not good enough, but they are simply not Lebanese). At 22€ per kilo a nicely decorated sweet box is cheaper than any cake and tart at its quality range, and lasts for more than a month! For those without a sweet tooth (if there are any), you can also visit Lazeez to order authentic Lebanese food for catering purposes, a facility offered by the Lebanese chefs.
One thing is certain, diet or no diet, a visit to Lazeez will not let you down!
Did you go because you saw it on Cypriot and Proud? Don’t forget to let them know!
