Restaurant review: Unforgettable, fragrant, fruity Gamal Nkrumah tastes the forgotten fruit of the shisha which delivers long and manifold flavours in Lebanese fashion Cedars isn't pure ostentation. Given its location, it should be a godforsaken pollution-choked place, even if there is a poetic charm about the name. An early adrenaline rush induced by a shisha even though there's no banter from waitresses as there are none. The shisha sitting, though, gives a kick to the entire café. This is hardly the quintessential suppertime story for such a politically charged atmosphere. One a jack the lad, the other his more agreeable bloke and the third is the platinum blonde. We sit to enjoy the fabled mezzes of Lebanon. The spread is enticing -- muttabal, aubergines pickled with lashings of garlic, parsley and tomatoes; labneh, yogurt strained in a muslin cloth to remove the whey; and tabouleh, the delectable Lebanese salad made of parsley, mint, tomato and scallion with burghul (cracked durum wheat). And, that is precisely the way Lebanese food is -- motley of fresh, enticing ingredients and a feast for the eye. Some dishes are for the cruel carnivore, others for the refined vegetarian. Yes, Lebanese food is overwhelmingly vegetarian, or so it seems at first sight. Cedars is an easy-going Lebanese café in the heart of Mohandessin in Giza. Ahead of the Giza parliamentary elections we note that it has been a year of eating excitedly. This was among the most exceptional memories, resonate with the dynamism that evokes a sense of the Levant. Often designated the accolade "the epitome of the healthy Mediterranean diet" Lebanese cuisine is boast and pride of the Levant. Meats of all kinds are consumed sparingly, with the notable exception of kebbah -- ground raw beef, a delicacy that defines the piquancy of Lebanese cuisine. We skipped that. The Lebanese are an engaging lot. Their sneering upper-class ways are beguiling. They constantly mutter bidna na'eeish, their motto in life, which defines their raison d'être. They live for today, and that includes the food they eat. They live life to the utmost, savouring every moment of it. Kibbeh -- ground meat and parboiled and dried durum wheat -- was dubbed the Syrian torpedo by the French and British during World War II. When cooked to perfection, it is a delight. In Egypt, there are less pleasing versions that are commonly called kubeibah. Cedars' take on kubeibah is no match for the authentic Lebanese original. My heart skips a beat. There is a hint of Lebanon, but not quite. The shisha hubble bubble are reminiscent of those served in the most memorable of Al-Hamra cafes. Everyone, women and men, old, middle-aged and young are smoking the fragrant snuff. The ice blonde, in typical Lebanese fashion, was sneering enjoyably at everyone around us. I opted instead for the thyme-stuffed mana'eesh, a pizza-like dough that is crisp from the outside and chewy within, though much lighter and far less filling than its Italian counterpart. Our freshly squeezed juice glasses were quickly drained -- pomegranate, mint and lime, mango and guava. I dive into the mana'eesh with dollops of thyme. In a confusing, confused world, the Lebanese take time to concentrate on their food. Lebanese food is always fresh, exceedingly so. We start with the muqquabillat, the appetisers. These are basically more minute portions of the aforementioned mezzes. Elegiac tangents, copious amounts of garlic and the magical spice sume' (sumac) -- a sharp burgundy-coloured herb with a flavour reminiscent of lime. I declined the mujaddara, a Levantine lentil dish served with rice or wheat and onions sautéed in olive oil. It is sometimes derisively nicknamed "Esau's favourite". Mujaddara is "mess of pottage" that the biblical Esau sold his birthright. Alas, they did not have kibbeh naya (raw ground beef). This dish is only served when the meat is exceptionally fresh and is ever so lightly spiced with wheat germ, finely chopped onions and the whole doused with olive oil. It is a distinctive Lebanese dish that other Arabs, especially Egyptian, shy away from. I, for one, have no qualms about the deliciously fresh kibbeh. Lexically interesting for its use of pine nuts, subtle herbs and dark leafy green plants, Lebanese cuisine is exceedingly appetising. It makes perfect good sense to hop across the River Nile, if you reside in Cairo, to sample the fruity shishas -- a house delicacy. Cedars Mohandessin, Giza
