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Al-Ahram Weekly 20 - 26 April 2000 Issue No. 478 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 20 - 26 April 2000 Issue No. 478
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Heritage Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Into the void
By Injy El-KashefWhen American fast-food chains began sprouting everywhere in Egypt a few years ago, people got terribly excited. They probably experienced a moment of true happiness when they stood in line for 45 minutes and eventually got their burger and fries -- which surely did not taste of rubber under these pleasant circumstances. Well, the chains have not stopped spreading since; and why should they, with such an indulgent clientele?
Unfortunately, however, most people like what they know. Anything that is acclaimed by the social entourage becomes not only tolerable but desirable, and manages somehow to discredit the competition, which is firmly believed, a priori, to be of inferior quality. This is probably why Flamers is so empty every time one passes by. And the emptier it looks, the more likely it is to remain empty in the future -- for who would trust any food outlet with only one occupied table out of 20?
In a moment of courage and open-mindedness, we decided to give Flamers a chance. After all, how much worse than the rest could it possibly be?
Although it offers pretty much the same variety of sandwiches as its "colleagues," Flamers turned out to harbour quite a few surprises. First, it includes hot dogs in the menu (plain, chili or cheese options). If you're going to an American joint, you may as well try the dogs -- true, I have tasted better ones in my short lifetime, but these will do perfectly on a busy day. The main drawback of this item, however, is that although almost everything else comes in either "big" or "very big" form (according to Flamers, not this reviewer), the hot dogs exist in "very big" only.
Another good surprise is the method of cooking. Flamers prefer to offer charcoal-grilled food. Of course it makes a difference, even if the burgers are prepared with processed meat, as they are everywhere else. Of the seven types of burgers (including BBQ, Mushroom and Cheese Country), we tried the Flamers and the Country, which were more human than most experienced elsewhere. As for the CharChickens, our exposure was limited to the Teriyaki (described by the waiter as immersed in sweet and sour sauce, but which actually arrived with soy sauce), and the general consensus was that it will be the most highly recommended item from now on.
Now to the fries. They are no worse than most (although in this department, a more popular fast-food chain definitely wins), but have the benefit of arriving either plain, with cheese or with chili. Don't get me wrong now. The fries themselves are always plain, but they may be ordered with a small plastic tub of either. One word of caution to vegetarians, for whom fries are the only possibility on the menu, along with the Green Salad: the chili sauce includes minced meat.
To get to the end of the meal, ice cream comes in vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, mango, caramel, mocha or mastic flavours, or one may have a fruit salad for dessert.
In a nutshell, Flamers may not be aided by the commercial success of a certain golden architectural design, but it is just as good as its peers, with prices in the usual fast-food range.
Flamers, Mohandessin: 84, Gam'at Al-Duwal St..
Tel: 3354232Tahrir: 20 Mohamed Mahmoud St., opposite AUC.
Heliopolis: 51, Abdel-Hamid Badawi St., opposite Al-Shams Club,
Tel: 6421630/1
