 |
Al-Ahram Weekly 8 - 14 July 1999 Issue No. 437 
|
||
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
|
Al-Ahram Weekly 8 - 14 July 1999 Issue No. 437
|
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Focus Books Travel Living Sports Time Out Chronicles People Cartoons Letters Hole in the wall
By Pascale GhazalehA cushion cover hanging on a wall of The Nook is embroidered with a pithy aphorism proclaiming something along the lines of "The thing I most like to make for dinner is reservations." While finding truth in bumper sticker slogans is slightly embarrassing to admit to, that really sums it up as far as I am concerned. I have always avoided learning how to cook; a few experiments in the kitchen soon sufficed to actively dissuade those who might have harboured any illusions as to my hidden culinary skills. I have even been known -- perhaps my proudest hour -- to burn a hard-boiled egg. So we eat out, with a vengeance.
Still, every now and then it's nice to feel one is sitting in a kitchen, eating food that was once, not so long ago, in the ground, or on a tree, or -- in the Carnivore's case -- grazing peacefully in a green field. So The Nook is a find. It's quaint, it's cosy, it's a family affair, it's a little do-it-yourself, darling: a Union Jack draped over a bird cage, thick white coffee cups, a cafetière brought to the table. In an L-shaped space with a kitchen in the remaining corner, a few tables are placed, cunningly conveying intimacy without placing diners on each other's laps.
The night we went, the British proprietress greeted us chirpily: "It's steak night tonight!" She seemed nonplused by the horrified look on our faces, but soon mollified us with the promise of pasta with sweet corn, tomatoes and mushrooms.
Now eating out is not always a risk-free affair, and the time that elapses between the taking of the order and the delivery of the goods has always been fraught with mystery to me. At The Nook, however, transparency is the rule. From the kitchen there emanated a reassuring clatter, as of pots and pans, then soon the sound and smell of frying filled the air. The Carnivore was quite pleased, and was soon engaged in affectionate dialogue with a large slab of well-done steak, accompanied by hash browns and the obligatory string beans and carrots. The pasta was equally satisfying, with enough sauce to coat the penne properly, and a savoury sprinkling of what could well have been Gruyere shavings. We made short work of that.
Much of the usual restaurant protocol is disregarded at this establishment, and the proprietress -- whom only a moment before I had held in the highest regard -- raised her eyebrows at my plate and exclaimed: "You were hungry, weren't you?" I disregarded the fine lady's remark, however, and, leaving my companions to engage in an abstract discussion of their expanding waistlines, prepared to do battle once more. The foe was a cherry and blueberry crumble: warm and liquid and sweet, topped with two generous scoops of vanilla ice cream. A slightly higher crumble-to-filling ratio could have been in order, but this is mere pettiness on my part. The proprietress had disappeared into the nether regions of The Nook, no doubt alarmed by my voracity, and perhaps stifling her screams of terror in one of the other desserts on offer (sticky date pudding, apple pie with ice cream, brownie with ice cream and hot chocolate sauce). Vengeance was mine.
We shall return, no doubt, to The Nook, one of those nights when the Carnivore looks at me fondly and, in a moment of blissful amnesia, asks: "What's for dinner?"
With coffee and an orange juice, our humble repast came to LE102 or so -- a little larger than a nook, but not a major dent in the wallet.
The Nook, 21, Rd 254, Maadi
Tel:Tel: 5197655
