Best of Lebanon at Zayt Zaytoon

LEBANESE restaurant Zayt Zaytoon has just opened its third outlet in the kingdom in Budaiya.

Monitoring the scrumptious food at all three kitchens, which also include Exhibition Road and the Saudi Causeway, is Lebanese chef Mohammed Mechmechani who boasts 18 years of kitchen experience.

Before coming to the island three years ago, chef Mechmechani worked in Saudi Arabia for three years and for 12 years in Lebanon before that.

His family has always been in the restaurant business, his father having had an outlet back home in Lebanon.

Chef Mechmechani's venture into the kitchen began at the tender age of 13 at home in Lebanon.

He said: "During those days, it was normal for boys to find work at such a young age and be able to make their own money. Boys used the money to pay for their school fees and other things and used to earn as much as $100 a month.

"The first money I got, I gave it to my mother who told me to start saving it up towards making my own home. I now own a house in Lebanon that I bought with the money I saved."

Through working with well-known international chefs in Lebanon, chef Mechmechani also gained wide experience in Italian cuisine.

Over the years he has had the opportunity to prepare meals for various Lebanese ministers and other VIPs as well as the royal family of Saudi Arabia during his stint there.

He hopes one day to go back to Lebanon and open his own restaurant serving traditional Lebanese cuisine.

Also on his 'to-do list' is learning the art of Indian cuisine as his personal favourite, aside from dishes from the Lebanese menu including kibbeh and tabouleh, is biryani.

Chef Mechmechani's best cooking tip is that it's important to be in a good mood when in the kitchen as this leads to better food.

And he added: "The kitchen must also be extremely clean and while I am cooking. I prefer having everything, cutlery, utensils, machines, ovens, close to hand."

Here he shares one of his favourite dishes, chicken and potato fakhara with GulfWeekly readers.