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Al-Ahram Weekly 22 - 28 July 1999 Issue No. 439 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 22 - 28 July 1999 Issue No. 439
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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 Focus Interview Travel Living Sports Time Out Chronicles People Cartoons Letters Picture perfect
By Peter Snowdon
"And so," said the balding Frenchman sitting with his back to me, "I had to sail all the way to Corsica without my spectacles!"
His companions paused, knives in mid-air, to digest this unexpected information. There was a cough from over my right shoulder.
"Ya'ani," said the intense beard in the bright red shirt, "the thing about me is, I didn't look at her knee any differently afterwards."
His voice trailed off, this brief anatomical confession quickly covered over by the rattle of approaching forks.
One of the perils of restaurant reviewing is eating on one's own. And one of the perils of eating on one's own is having to listen to other people's conversations. I was reminded of this truth on my last visit to Paparazzi, which has taken the place of the former Aberdeen Steak House on Road 9. As it said in the leaflet, "Paparazzi will Expose you as a client at our place." Never a truer word...
Paparazzi is a difficult eatery to classify. Though most of the menu is, appropriately enough, in Italian, it includes an extensive selection of Argentine grilled meats, as well as a few Chinese dishes, enigmatically described as "From my mother's kitchen", a good range of fresh Red Sea fish, the usual Egyptian salads, and two kinds of beefburger.
The hint is in the fish. Paparazzi is not an Italian restaurant, it's a Sinai restaurant. The mother house is located in Sharm Al-Sheikh. That is why they have a menu which runs to 150 items -- not because they love food, but because they want to make everybody feel at home. Wherever you travelled from to be here tonight, you know in advance that you will find something familiar and reassuring, adequately prepared and reasonably priced.
The meal began with a complimentary pot of chicken liver paste, which was light on gastronomic substance, but a perfect pretext for crisp bread and an aperitif. First up was penne alle olive nere e pomodoro. The noodles, though "home-made," were not very different from good dry pasta, and a little overcooked. But the sauce was satisfyingly pungent with sage and hot pepper, if a little short on body.
Then came the rognoni di vitello, served in a creamy sauce. Again, the sauce was good, but it slipped over the meat without really engaging with it, while the meat didn't give the sauce much to bite on (overcooked?), while the chips could only look on in dessicated disbelief. A warm, forgiving five out of ten.
If you're looking for haute cuisine, then you've come to the wrong place. But after a long hard day buffetted by the waves of the city, you don't really need to sit down to tournedos Rossini and chestnut roulade. All you need is a place you can hang your towel and settle into a comfortable chair, out of reach, yet still within memory of the deep blue sea, quaff a few beers, and talk about the things that really matter in life: men and women, Corsica, and whatever did become of those spectacles...
Supper for one with two beers (one on the house) came to LE45. At lunchtime the three-course set menu is a real bargain at LE22.
Paparazzi, 67 Road 9, Maadi.
Tel. 3508730
