New World Hotel Makati's Authentic Lebanese Cuisine

Chef Malek El Safadi is probably one of the best new additions to the New World Hotel in Makati City. Having been the general head chef and nutrition consultant of no less than the The Royal Family, The King Of Saudi Arabia, for 5 years back in 1989-1994, then executive chef of different hotels after, Chef Malek has brought his knowledge and expertise to create a successful authentic Lebanese or Middle Eastern Mediterranean cuisine to New World Hotel's M2M Cafe buffet and ala carte menus.



I was able to try out New World Hotel's Halal Certified Middle Eastern Mediterranean Menu last week. Chef Malek specially cooked up a menu for us that night complete from soup, salads, cold appetizers, hot appetizers, main course, and dessert. It was a relatively new eating experience for me because I was not very familiar with Lebanese Cuisine, but nonetheless, it was a great foodgasmic experience.

What I really liked about the set-menu was the soup, the salads, and the cold and hot appetizers. I don't know, but I can eat them all day everyday. It's that good! :) First up, we were served with the Lentil Soup, a purely vegetarian soup, which tasted really good. Lentil is an edible pulse, just like peas or seeds.



After the soup, we were served the Salads. The Arabian Salad, The Cabbage Salad, and The Tabouleh. Among the three, the Tabouleh caught my attention. It is a Levantine Arab salad made of chopped parsley, tomatoes, onions with lettuce and dressed with lime, olive oil and salt. It was really refreshing, and really healthy.



These pieces of Lebanese bread are topped with lamb with cheese and chili. It's really so good, you would want to finish everything! I fell in love with the cuisine after tasting it.



Besides the greens, these cold appetizers would make you want to eat more! These four really yummy dips are just plain awesome. First up was the Mutabal (eggplant tahini, pomegranate, garlic, parsley), then there was the Labneh with garlic (yogurt, garlic, olive oil, mint), then the Hoummous (chickpeas, tahini, garlic, olive oil, lemon) and lastly, the Baba Ghannouj (eggplant with capsicum, tomato cubes, onions, garlic and lemon)



Chicken Wings Provincial is another standout dish which we all loved. It's chicken wings sauteed with cumin, coriander, and lemon.



The Kebab Halabi or Lamb Skewers were a break, easy to eat, delicious, and just the right balance of spices. The Chicken Shawarmah was something different, as it was presented without a pita bread. It was a little bit dry for me, but the taste was consistently good. The Chili Chicken Liver however looked so good, but unfortunately, I do not eat liver, so I passed on the dish.



The Fisherman is steamed fish with a prawn. The presentation's good. It seemed like the fish was catching a prawn, the taste was light, little lacking a kick, but nonetheless good. We were also served the Lamb Oriental Rice.



For dessert, we ate these imported pastries, which tasted different but in a good way. It wasn't our normal after-meal go-to dessert, but it was an experience. Lastly, to wash down all what we ate, Chef Malek served us with Turkish Coffee (coffee with cardamom) which he himself brewed. I drank two small cups (shots). :)



All of these gastronomic goodness can be found at New World Hotel M2M Cafe's regular buffet or ala carte meals. New World Hotel is located at Esperanza Street corner Makati Avenue, Ayala Center, Makati City 1228, Philippines.