Tastes of Eastern promise

THINGS are hotting up on the Middle Eastern front - in the kitchens of Hong Kong. In the past six months, Middle Eastern cuisine has ambushed the local food scene with the opening of Beirut in Lan Kwai Fong, Zahra in Wan Chai and a catering service run from Hong Kong Island. Now, Mecca 97 in Lan Kwai Fong, which has had the market to itself since 1987, when it began serving Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes, is renewing its strategy. ''A new chef has joined the group to review both the menu and the kitchen,'' said head chef Laurence Jones of the Post 97 group, which includes Mecca 97. ''The new menu will be ready in September.'' Even relative newcomer Beirut, is expanding its original menu, after studying the market since opening in April. ''Customers want more authentic Lebanese food and fewer things like French fries,'' Beirut's general manager Joseph Assaf said. ''So we are adapting accordingly.'' The menu includes more fish, shrimp and dried meat dishes in addition to the renowned hommos, falafel and tabbouleh. Of all Middle Eastern cuisines, Lebanese - because of French influences - is perhaps the most sophisticated. Typical fare includes fatoush, a salad containing pieces of pitta bread; maroush arayes, toasted flat bread filled with minced meat; and kibbeh shamiyeh, minced lamb and crushed wheat balls stuffed with more lamb and pine nuts. ''There are over 200 dishes in the Lebanese repertoire,'' said Mr Assaf, who owns four restaurants in Beirut. ''We now offer around 75.'' He said most of Beirut's customers were sufficiently familiar with Lebanese cuisine to ask for the more common dishes by name. ''By expanding and varying the menu, we offer them tastes beyond their previous experience,'' he said. Establishing a bi-monthly shipment of key ingredients from Beirut, such as spices and herbs, led to the expansion. ''If you don't import them, the final dishes don't taste quite right,'' he said. The instant popularity of Lebanese food came as a surprise, albeit a pleasant one, to Vivienne and Tarek el-Mahmoud owner of Zahra which opened in March, with a menu of Lebanese starters and predominately Macanese entrees. ''Our other partners were nervous about serving purely Lebanese food, so the Macanese dishes were a compromise,'' Mrs el-Mahmoud said. ''We were encouraged by the reaction to Lebanese dishes and, as the sole owners now, have decided to concentrate on these.'' Space is tight at Zahra, so a shawarma, an upright meat grill, is out of the question. Everything else, however, is homemade and cooked to order. ''Our dishes are very homely,'' Mrs el-Mahmoud said. ''They are the kind people eat in their own homes.'' Like Beirut, essential delicacies are imported. These include chickpeas, used for hommos; fava beans for medames, a bean salad; pomegranate juice for fesenjan, a chicken dish with a walnut and pomegranate sauce; and tahini, a sesame seed paste used for everything from dips to sauces and pastries. With Hong Kong people obviously enthusiastic about Mediterranean cuisine, Jennifer Saran, an American raised in Egypt, believes there is room to diversify. Three months ago she began a catering business delivering a limited, but varied, range of Middle Eastern dishes to people's homes. ''When I first came here I was very disappointed at the lack of good Middle Eastern food,'' she said. ''A few places did one or two dishes very well, but these weren't worth making a special journey for. ''Pitta bread seems simple, but it is very difficult to get right. The few available here are suitable as dipping breads, but not as pockets for fillings. They fall apart.'' Interestingly, pitta is a name only used in the West. In the Middle East, as Mrs Saran explained, every region has its own bread varieties. ''Bread is eaten every day in the Middle East,'' she said. ''Sometimes it's as a pocket, sometimes as a scoop. In the bigger restaurants, one chef will be dedicated just to baking bread.'' Mrs Saran was encouraged to start catering after taking a stall at an International School food festival in April proved incredibly successful. ''I was reticent at first,'' she said. ''It's a big commitment. I'm conscious of quality and can't afford to have a dissatisfied customer.'' Fresh-flavoured, pungent with garlic, lemon-sharp and rich with olive oil, Mrs Saran's dishes are a world apart from those often found next to tomato soup on ''international'' menus. She is particularly proud of her labne, a homemade yoghurt cheese. ''It takes around three days to make,'' she said. ''When fresh, the Lebanese serve it like hommos. But rolled into balls and covered with olive oil, it keeps for weeks.'' BEIRUT'S TABBOULEH (serves four) 1 cup bulgar (cracked wheat) 4 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped 1 cucumber, diced 1 green pepper, diced 1 small red onion, diced 1 large tomato, diced Grated rind of one lemon Juice of two lemons 80ml olive oil Pinch ground all-spice Salt and pepper to taste Cover the bulgar with cold water and leave to soak for at least 30 minutes until the grains swell. Drain and press well to remove excess moisture. Whisk the oil, lemon rind and juice, salt, pepper and all-spice together to make a dressing. Mix bulgar, vegetables and fresh herbs together in a salad bowl. Toss with dressing and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. Post 97, 9 Lan Kwai Fong, 810-8098; Beirut, G/F 27-39 D'Aguilar Street, Lan Kwai Fong, 804-6611; Zahra, 409 Jaffe Road, Wan Chai, 838-4597; Jennifer Saran, 813-2956.