Restaurant review: Fatta for festivities The sophisticated Lebanese touch goes down well in Cairo among Egyptians who have a thing about Lebanon, says Gamal Nkrumah At Sabaya ("youth" in Arabic) celebrities dish out autographs and frivolous personal scribbles as if there were no tomorrow. This, after all, is Omar Sharif's favourite watering hole. Diners stand shoulder to shoulder with the stars, and they owe it all to their adulation of Lebanese cuisine. Located on the mezzanine level of the Semiramis hotel overlooking the Nile, Sabaya sweeps around in an arc, like a whirling dervish or pirouetting ballerina. The latticed wooden doors that greet prospective diners are reminders of the classic Moorish décor of Andalusia. The restaurant has hanging drapery, halogen lighting and dark wooden panels set against delicious cream stucco walls. The russet limestone tile floor inset with tiny turquoise and gold mosaic tiles completes the Arabesque picture. Sabaya's glossy sell belies a litany of down-to-earth, homegrown truths. There is nothing melancholic about looking back as long as there is fresh excitement bubbling up around the notion of nostalgia. And it is at this festive season when revelries grip fun- lovers that the paparazzi and gossip columnists frequent Sabaya, I suppose in search of eternal youth, superstars and the seductive charms of Lebanese culinary classics. Perennially popular with the well-heeled, like a piece of fine tailoring Sabaya is a restaurant that is considered to have the Lebanese golden touch and one that its clientele will grow into with Levantine style. All things Lebanese bemuse Egyptians. Traditional Christmas delicacies may have become a comparative rarity in Lebanon, but not in Egypt. When it is done well, fatta is a classic and well worth the effort to make at home, in an Egyptian kitchen that is. However, I highly recommend the Lebanese mélange that Levantines also call fatta, especially when it is prepared by the masterful hand of Chef Nasser Makhoul of Sabaya. " Sahtein -- doubly good health," the Lebanese say, even though they are equally conversant with the French bon appetit. Although my linguistic skills were quick on the uptake, I was tongue-tied when it came to an appropriate reply. The Coptic Christians of Egypt break their Christmas fast of 43 days on the stroke of midnight on 7 January. Traditionalists maintain that the fast goes from 12 midnight to 12 noon the following day. Seafood is permitted, unlike during the 55 days of Lent, except on Wednesdays and Fridays. Meat, adding a vital source of protein to vegetarian diets, is the main course eaten after evening mass. Fatta, soaked toasted brown bread, rice and meat cooked in its own broth, is the traditional Christmas dish of the Copts. The Lebanese have their own version of fatta. This is yoghurt-based, and pan-fried meatballs of veal and lamb, mixed with special herbs, are used instead of the plainer boiled Egyptian beef. The Lebanese also add chickpeas to their fatta. The dish is topped with fresh yoghurt, pine nuts and parsley for garnish. Kebbe nayye, ground raw lamb and cracked wheat, is the indisputable Lebanese national dish. In days gone by, heavy stone urns were used to prepare this dish. A maddaqa, or pestle, was used to grind the meat into a creamy pate. Kebbe nayye is the Levant's answer to the West's steak tartare, except that it is tastier, and the anti-bacterial properties of raw garlic and lemon juice mingle with the soft ground meat. The secret to the success of this dish, Makhoul insists, is the freshness of the meat, meaning the leanest leg of lamb carefully trimmed of all fat, tendons and gristle. A hint of cloves and cinnamon with a touch of mint, basil and parsley enhances the flavour further. At Sabaya, gracious waiters and waitresses dressed in tuxedos and burgundy Thousand and One Nights Arabian-style gowns usher you in, presenting you with globular glass vases packed with the freshest raw vegetables. Makhoul's green apple tabbouleh is an ingenious take on traditional Lebanese tabbouleh. "In Lebanon, we scoop it up with crisp Romaine lettuce," Makhoul discloses, handing me a lettuce leaf. Then there is raheb or monk's salad -- roasted aubergine purée, diced tomato, celery and spring onion. The aroma of this seemingly frugal dish is so sexy that it could have been concocted to keep the monks celibate. Sabaya Semiramis InterContinental Corniche Al-Nile, Garden City, Cairo Tel: 2797 1818 Dinner for two: LE350
