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Al-Ahram Weekly 15 - 21 April 1999 Issue No. 425 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 15 - 21 April 1999 Issue No. 425
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Breakfast of champions
By Andrew SteeleIt has always been one of my all time favourite breakfast venues, the Café Trianon in Alexandria. Looking out onto Ramleh Square from the back of the delightful Metropole Hotel, it exudes that easy-going classiness of an Alexandrian past, and, if the governor is to have his way, of Alexandria's future.
We were promptly seated by the delightful Shadia, dressed in a very dapper pinafore, complete with a natty paper hat, who intimated that she had been giving winning service to Trianon customers for the best part of eight years. Our table was one with a window, seaside, so that only the more myopic members of our party could say that they were not graced with a fine Med view. The fact that this is partially obscured by the bus stop and a gargantuan statue of Saad Zaghlul is mere picking of the proverbial nit.
Coffee came as promptly as any American diner could hope to serve it, and was a fine brew to boot. Our party managed three different varieties -- espresso, cappuccino, and filtered, the latter coming in a large silver pot with intricate etchings. We were revived to a man.
Orange juices sped their way soon after. These were great -- freshly squeezed and chock full of all that wonderfully pithy fruit pith. Chilled to an immense chilliness to boot, we were unanimously of the opinion that there's not much to beat a large, cold shot of magical vitamin C after scraping one's tongue on a Friday morning.
Eggs to follow then, preceded only by a basket of warm, fresh bread and curls of iced butter. By this stage we were starting to feel human again, not least because of the wonderful, art-deco comfort of the Trianon, with it's high ceilings and sober panelling, large gleaming windows, and fancy cake stands piled with fancies. My omelette aux fines herbes came as a good omelette should -- nicely yellow on the outside with just the odd hint of browning, with a slightly runny but most certainly cooked middle and a heavy dose of those herbs. The mushroom omelette was equally well pulled off -- fresh, juicy mushrooms and a good shake of black pepper adding to its allure. Both came with a garnish of salad and pickle. Jonathan demurred breakfast, declaring that his stomach was simply not ready for the rigours of another day's food processing just yet, but decided to partake of a crisp and refreshing lemon juice to up the ante on the vitamin C front.
A very pleasant morning's distraction was had by all, then. The Trianon being just the sort of venue where one feels compelled to linger, for just one more coffee and a paper, as indeed, did our fellow breakfasters.
Feeling thoroughly fit and fortified, we asked Shadia for the bill, which, for two omelettes, four juices and an awful lot of coffee, came to a hardly crippling LE50 for three. And what you need next is a stroll on the prom.
Café Trianon, 6 Sharm Al-Sheikh Street, Ramleh Square, Alexandria
Tel (03) 4831567
