Habibi Cafe: A Shot at Middle Eastern Food

Been craving for Middle Eastern food for sometime. I've finally got my chance last Friday when I headed off to this newly opened Middle Eastern resto near my office. Its not really a chain, but it has 3 of its kind opened all throughout Hong Kong. I've read about it somewhere, and I figured it was about time to try it out.

The place was small, and could only house 15-20 people when packed full. Fortunately for me, it was quite empty last Friday with only 4 people around. They were having lunch specials for HKD$60. Lunch for today were a cold mezze (appetizers) of Hummos (Actually, I'm not sure about this, but it sure looked like hummus to me) with combination of greens and pita bread, some mediterranean soup, and a choice between meat and vegetarian (Lamb Kebab/Mussaka) meal sets with Koshary, together with your choice of drink (tea, coffee, iced tea). I opted for the Lamb Kebab.

Service was quick, as they handed over my plate on my table in about 5 minutes. The whole lunch set came with one big plate, which I would've appreciated if they've at least separated the appetizer with the main course. At least they did bother to place the pita bread in a separate basket container. The whole plate still looked like one big heap piled on top of another. The waitress was nice enough to point out which item in the list is which. It was unncessary, and they could've just dumped the plate on me and not bothered, but it was still nice to be told which one was the Koshary, and which one was the Lamb. :)

Regardless, the Hummos tasted as good as I'd expected it to be; none of the crap commercialized, Hong Kong-ized taste, here. (For those unfamiliar with Hummos/Hummus, its a paste of Chickpeas purreed with tahini and lemon juice. See my Hummus entry here.) Like most Mediterranean food, this one is full of flavors and spices. I'd say the same with the soup. It was kind of like a Middle Eastern minestrone, but with the usual Mediterranean twist.

The main course was pretty good, too. I'm a sucker for lambs, and theirs were soft and tender. I was hoping for couscous as their staple, but this was the first time I've tried Koshary - its basically a mix of pasta and rice with lentils and chickpeas topped with fried onions. Its a change from the usual rice, and was flavorful. In fact, everything was just a burst of flavors.

Despite everything being served in one plate, the whole meal was a mouthful... I could finish the meal, but not while leaving the resto quite uncomfortably full. I'd suspect the serving was just about right for guys with big stomachs.

I'm not an food expert, particularly in this cuisine, but the place gives a good impression. Most likely you're not going to get a watered down version of a Middle Eastern dish, and if you're not adventurous in that way, you might not like what you eat. But for those looking for a different taste, it would be a good place to go. The menu items are not as extensive as the non-cafe version, but it should be good enough for lunch. Needless to say, I'd like to try it again some time.

You can find the list of menu items and a short introduction to their restaurant in their official site.