Lemon Lentil Soup...a Middle Eastern Flavour

Yesterday, some office colleagues and myself went to a very lovely restaurant near work. It was my first time there.  The cuisine is Lebanese themed and quite delicious. I found the decor upscale, yet casual, and the prices were reasonable. Before partaking in my meal, I went to freshen up and was impressed with the bathroom. The walls were a cappuccino colour, with some nice art hanging on the wall. The floor was dark green terrazo, and well made, and but what super impressed me was a beautifully custom built cherrywood vanity table and a brocaded and tassled sitting chair. 
 
Ah, okay back to the food. So, I ordered a beef dish and a cup of lentil soup as a starter. The flavour was bright and fresh, and slightly spicy.
 
Today, I searched the internet until something that struck me as similar caught my eye.
 
I found this recipe on the internet on allrecipes, and I found it replicated the flavour to a T. It is a bit time intensive, but in my opinion worth the effort for building the flavours.
 
)

• 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
• 6 cups water
• 1 small onion, peeled and diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 sprigs Italian flat leaf parsley
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
•  
• 4 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups dried brown lentils, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 pounds Swiss chard - rinsed, stems removed and cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• salt to taste
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large saucepan, combine the chicken broth, 6 cups of water, 1 small onion, bay leaf, parsley and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours. Strain, and reserve 4 cups of the broth for the recipe. Reserve the remaining broth for other uses.
2. Pour the 4 cups of broth into a large soup pot, and add 4 cups of water to it. Stir in lentils, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 1 hour.
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the large onion, and cook until transparent, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, and cook for just a minute, until fragrant. Place the chard in the pan, and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. The smells here are delicious!
4. Transfer the chard and onion mixture to the pot with the lentils. Stir in the cilantro and lemon juice. Season with salt and additional lemon if desired. Simmer covered for an additional 15 minutes before serving. Serve with lemon wedges.