Restaurant review: Life is for living Gamal Nkrumah lives it up in Lebanese fashion by the Red Sea One is a jack-the-lad, the other his more sensitive friend. We sit down to enjoy the fabled mezze s of Lebanon. The spread is enticing -- muttabal, aubergines pickled with lashings of garlic, parsley and tomatoes; labneh, yoghurt 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, a 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. Dairy products are used abundantly and in the most creative fashion. Les Cedres du Liban, the Cedars of Lebanon, is a plush Lebanese restaurant in the Stella di Mare, the celebrated seaside retreat on the Red Sea nearest to Cairo. Meats, of all kinds, are consumed sparingly, with the notable exception of kibbah -- ground raw beef, a delicacy that defines the piquancy of Lebanese cuisine , ground meat with parboiled and dried durum wheat, 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. Nothing, of course, to compare with the authentic Lebanese original. Often designated the accolade "the epitome of the healthy Mediterranean diet" the Lebanese cuisine is the pride of the Levant. In Stella di Mare, the vistas of beach and mountain are enchanting. The blue sea beckons. The pools, azure and inviting. But, remember this is the Red Sea and not the Mediterranean, Egypt and not Lebanon. Remember, too, that no lunch is served -- only dinner. There is a hint of Lebanon, but not quite. The mountains are bare, the cedars nowhere to be seen. The sea is bluer than usual, the skies cerulean. My heart skips a beat. There is something about the austere ambiance of the Cedres du Liban that does not quite feel like a beachside eatery. The tablecloths are starched, clinically clean and blindingly white. 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. 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. 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", the mess of pottage for which the biblical Esau sold his birthright. Elegiac tangents, copious amounts of garlic and the magical spice sume' (sumac) -- a sharp burgundy- coloured herb with a flavour reminiscent of lime. I opted instead for the thyme-stuffed manaeish, with a pizza-like dough, though much lighter and far less filling. Alas, they did not have Kibbah Naya. 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 Egyptians, shy away from. I, for one, have no qualms about the delicious kibbah.The inspiration for the Cedres du Liban is the heady heights of Jabal Lubnan, Mount Lebanon. The cedar, the national tree of Lebanon, famous for its fragrant timber, is a fitting inspiration for a Lebanese restaurant on the Red Sea. Especially interesting for its use of pine nuts, subtle herbs and dark leafy green plants, Lebanese cuisine is exceedingly appetising. It makes perfect sense to drive across the mountainous terrain of the Eastern Desert from Cairo (a mere hour and a half trip) and dine in a manner reminiscent of Lebanon by the Red Sea. After all, the Greeks claimed that the ancient Phoenicians hailed originally from somewhere in the vicinity of the Red Sea before they moved northwards to the Mediterranean. My partner, in typical Lebanese fashion, was sneering enjoyably at everyone around us. Cedres du Liban The Plan, Stella di Mare 46 Suez-Hurghada Road Tel: 062 250 200 Dinner for two: LE200
