When veteran restaurateur Charbel Bassil parked his 29-year-old Volvo in Beirut two weeks ago, he did what he always does before getting out of the car.
His father Francois, founder of Le Chef restaurant in the East Beirut district of Gemayzeh, had taught his son to crank down the windows in case of an explosion.
The grey station wagon, parked off Rue Gouraud, the main street in the district, suffered less damage than nearby cars when the huge explosion hit the port on August 4, killing at least 177 people.
Mr Bassil used the car to rush his two Syrian workers, Fayez and Fahed, to hospital. Fayez was in a coma in intensive care for days, and he is still in hospital, awaiting possible surgery.
On the way to the hospital, the 51-year-old restaurant owner picked up two more injured people from Rue Gouraud.
“There was not much glass inside the Volvo because I always keep the windows open,” Mr Bassil told The National.
The disaster is testing resilience at Le Chef, one of Beirut’s most venerable dining institutions. Its fortunes in the past five decades have echoed Lebanon’s turbulent history of war and peace.
The explosion was so close to Gemayzeh and of such magnitude that it forced Le Chef to close for the first time since Francois Bassil opened the restaurant on May 1, 1967.
His two brothers, the foul and fatteh specialist Antoun and the waiter Boutros, were his partners.
When it was operational, Le Chef was so well run that its home-style food was ready to serve almost as soon as Mr Bassil would shout the order into the elevated kitchen.
Its delivery service was also popular among office workers and elderly people who could not cook for themselves.
Relatively low prices attracted salaried workers, but artists and members of the intelligentsia and high-paid professionals also liked the food and the ambience of the restaurant with its wooden panels and a large painting hanging on one of the walls.
Sectarianism is not good for business
Le Chef's elder generation all died of natural causes in the past decade, except for Mr Bassil’s uncle Boutros.
He was run over by a car driven by a thief escaping a robbery in the Bassil home village of Daraoun, in Mount Lebanon.
Mr Bassil still lives in Daraoun, which overlooks the Bay of Jounieh, and is near the famed Maronite basilica of Harissa.
Francois Bassil left Daraoun to work as a chef in Iraq, before the 1958 revolution forced him to return to Lebanon.
Like his father did, Mr Bassil processes the supply chain through his computer-like mind to ensure every ingredient used is fresh.
He speaks fluent English and French, and seems to have picked up from Le Chef’s clientele every other language on Earth.
His brother Paul replaced Francois Bassil as the chef. The rest of the staff are a cousin, Collette, and a neighbour, Michelin, who handles the cash register, as well a team of mostly Syrian and Bangladeshi workers.
As hostile sentiment and violence against Syrian refugees increased in Lebanon in the past 15 years, Le Chef remained immune.
Fayez rose from being a busboy to assistant chef, and Mr Bassil relies on Fahed to run Le Chef when he is away.
Mr Bassil said that until recently, people from all sects stopped by the restaurant to tell him that his father, Francois, hired them at Le Chef. They were thankful, because “without him they would not have had experience to go work in the Gulf”, he said.
At the outset of the Lebanese civil war in 1975, Francois Bassil used his connections to hide his Muslim staff at the police station farther down Rue Gouraud, until they managed to flee to safety.
“Killings started according to the religion stamped on one’s ID, and my father feared for his Muslim workers,” Mr Bassil said.
Sectarianism, he said, “is not good for business”.
High inflation and the collapse of the Lebanese pound that started last year forced Le Chef to raise prices.
Activity was restricted to the delivery business for two to three months this year because of the coronavirus.
When the port explosion occurred a little after 6pm local time, there were only two customers at Le Chef.
One was unhurt and the other, who was sitting at the window, managed to walk by himself to a clinic in Gemayzeh.
It was off-peak hours.
But business has been very slow in general since the economic crisis started last year.
Mr Bassil laid off five workers, mostly Syrian, from his 12 permanent staff.
Local purchasing power has declined sharply and tourists who usually make Le Chef a prime destination in Beirut have stopped coming.
Le Chef had gained renown beyond Lebanon’s borders. Russel Crowe donated $5,000 (Dh18,364) to repair it, in memory of celebrity cook Anthony Bourdain, who spoke glowingly about the small restaurant.
The fund-raising page has garnered more than $18,000 in donations since the explosion.
Mr Bassil said the economic collapse “alone was disastrous – then came the coronavirus and the explosion".
“I inherited from my father and uncles the love of the people,” he said.
“We will continue.”
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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The%20specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%204cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E261hp%20at%205%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E400Nm%20at%201%2C750-4%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10.5L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C999%20(VX%20Luxury)%3B%20from%20Dh149%2C999%20(VX%20Black%20Gold)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg
Roma 4
Milner (15' OG), Dzeko (52'), Nainggolan (86', 90 4')
Liverpool 2
Mane (9'), Wijnaldum (25')
Brief scores
Barcelona 2
Pique 36', Alena 87'
Villarreal 0
MATCH SCHEDULE
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tuesday, April 24 (10.45pm)
Liverpool v Roma
Wednesday, April 25
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid (10.45pm)
Europa League semi-final, first leg
Thursday, April 26
Arsenal v Atletico Madrid (11.05pm)
Marseille v Salzburg (11.05pm)
Kamindu Mendis bio
Full name: Pasqual Handi Kamindu Dilanka Mendis
Born: September 30, 1998
Age: 20 years and 26 days
Nationality: Sri Lankan
Major teams Sri Lanka's Under 19 team
Batting style: Left-hander
Bowling style: Right-arm off-spin and slow left-arm orthodox (that's right!)
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
The details
Heard It in a Past Life
Maggie Rogers
(Capital Records)
3/5
Score
Third Test, Day 1
New Zealand 229-7 (90 ov)
Pakistan
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat
Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
ENGLAND SQUAD
Joe Root (captain), Dom Sibley, Rory Burns, Dan Lawrence, Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Ben Foakes (wicketkeeper), Moeen Ali, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad
