Restaurant review: Whiff of Lebanon Creative dexterity makes a difference to Levantine cuisine, discovers Gamal Nkrumah I've always been somewhat sceptical about the so- called "ethnic" eateries in Egypt today, and there are a substantial number of them. Jeita, ostensibly specialising in Lebanese cuisine, falls within that category. When it first opened, Jeita served what I would call authentic Lebanese dishes. At present, it dishes out edibles that are barely recognisable as Levantine. Why Jeita? The limestone grottoes of Jeita, are one of the most beautiful geographical landmarks in Lebanon. These world-famous formations are a unique natural phenomenon that attracts thousands of visitors every year. They take on weird and wonderful forms sculptured by nature and almighty Allah. Stalactites and stalagmites create the most extraordinary grottoes with strange shapes, like giant mushrooms. Indeed, the whole impression is that of art galleries galore. There are magnificent caverns reminiscent of gigantic mediaeval cathedrals. First the good news. The tabouleh at Jeita is tasty. This most delectable of Lebanese salads is the barometer by which any restaurant purporting to be Lebanese is judged. As for other famous Levantine specialties, they are presented in a state that would be laughable were they not so egregiously non-Lebanese. The rich and irresistible Jeita cordon bleu consists of a gigantic slab of fried veal steak stuffed with Lebanese cheese, fresh (as opposed to tinned) mushrooms and smoked beef cutlets. Delight in its richness -- savour the extra-creamy cheese. Another rich jamboree of a dish is the Jeita chicken: pan- fried chicken breasts stuffed with mozzarella cheese, spinach and mushroom sauce. A comparable alternative is the chicken parmesan -- again pan-fried chicken breasts with parmesan cheese sauce and fresh mushroom. Shrimp casserole, Jeita-style, is a great dish for youngsters. The oven-cooked shrimp and calamari mixed with penne pasta and fresh cream topped with cheddar cheese is rich and unabashedly calorific. Kunafa Nablisiya, named after the Palestinian city of Nablus, is another wickedly rich repast. The Lebanese, however, have appropriated this fabled dessert for a dish consisting of oriental pastry stuffed with whipped Lebanese cheese and topped with pistachio. It is an absolute must if you do not suffer from high cholesterol levels. Even if you do, have a mouthful anyway. Jeita also caters for special events -- you can choose either lamb with Lebanese rice and nuts or turkey stuffed with rice and nuts. Both specialties are not exclusively Lebanese, but the meat, both red and white, are cooked to perfection. But not all is up to par. Appetisers are named after famous Lebanese cities and resorts -- Junieh, Al-Rawsha, for example. The former, inspired by a Lebanese Christian enclave and stylish resort just north of the Lebanese capital Beirut, consists of strips of magdoleh (braided) cheese with fresh watercress, thyme, tomato, pomegranate and treacle. Not quite my cup of tea. I am not sure why the curious concoction is christened Junieh. I suspect it is not an authentic Lebanese dish. The latter, Al-Rawsha, is an equally bizarre mix of peeled shrimps, cooked with calamari and assorted crustaceans, topped with tinned tuna and anchovies, onion rings and mayonnaise sauce. I personally could not stomach the stuff. One of Lebanon's most fascinating dishes, makloubeh -- cooked cubes of beef served with Lebanese rice, fried eggplant and greens -- is one of my favourite Lebanese concoctions. The makloubeh served at Jeita was passable, certainly not the variety often hastily prepared for boring slap-up buffets. And, nobody to my knowledge, has gone home with food poisoning. The real Lebanese cuisine, of course, is only to be savoured in Lebanon. Jeita serves curious variations of these Levantine specialties -- some better than others. Kheshkhash kufta drenched in tomato sauce is interesting, to say the least. Spiced Lebanese sausage, too, is fine as long as you drain it thoroughly from the questionable beige sauce it is drowned in. Arayes, Levantine pastries stuffed with minced meat, are yet another Lebanese all-time favourite of mine. At Jeita, they are passable -- nothing like the herb-suffused, fresh ground meat sweets adroitly done to a turn in olive oil. Jeita 120 Al-Thawra Street Heliopolis, Cairo Tel: 241 52326 Dinner for two: LE150
