 |
Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 May 2000 Issue No. 482 
|
||
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
|
Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 May 2000 Issue No. 482
|
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Features Heritage Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Catch as catch can
By Injy El-KashefRestaurants, just like people, are sometimes ambiguous. Although life would be much simpler if issues were just black or snow white, it often happens that they end up in the fuzzy grey area, leaving one rather baffled and confused. That is not to say that I shall lose any sleep over the Bonjour Restaurant matter -- other affairs are more worthy of the honour.
To begin at the beginning, what kind of name is that? If the owners had organised a contest for the dullest name to call their restaurant, and offered a life-long eating-for-free prize, no one would have ever managed Bonjour; simply a spark of genius. Still, with a forgiving spirit, we trotted cheerfully to what turned out to be a much more inviting place than we expected. With a Swiss chalet look and a wooden board mentioning "We offer products from Le Chantilly, La Chesa, Le Chateau, Le Châlet," Bonjour graduated to a higher level in our hearts -- and in our minds, thanks to the Internet facility.
We were seated in a large and spacious but totally empty dining area, decorated with a striking resemblance to the above-mentioned Swissôtel chain of restaurants. Now, we all feel a trifle suspicious of empty restaurants, especially when all the waiters eye you up and down as you enter as if the breed of customers were of alien origin to them. A sweet-looking waiter delivered fairly long menus along with a basket of garlic bread to nibble on as we decided. A quick look at the salad bar ruled this option out since it seemed as dull as Bonjour itself, and instead our party of three shared a Caesar Salad, which was as good as if Augustus had prepared it himself.
While we awaited our food I killed time by copying down our order for the purpose of this review. Suddenly, we felt the weight of human eyes around our table, as when one is alone in the room but can swear there is another presence. I lifted my head and there was a concentration of waiters at a strategic distance, all in the action of focusing. Our own waiter kept hovering around the table with such unease that I decided to tell him what I was doing to put him out of his misery. Before I opened my mouth, he had decided to confront his demons and, with like a tremor in his voice, shot out: "I could photocopy the menu for you if you like."
Back to his dignified and self-assured self a few moments later, he placed our order gently on the table. The Grilled Fillet was rather tough and chewy but the Chicken "Catchatory" (sic), with "black and green olives and vegetable, tomato sauce," was quite good and innovative. Although the ingredients were all nicely mixed together, they could still remember where they came from and what they used to look like. As for my Chicken Roquefort (Roquefort sauce, fresh cream and -- like the first chicken dish -- rice and sautéed vegetables) it was very, very good. True, I could not trace back the fresh cream -- and honestly doubt its existence in my plate -- but the taste was great and that's what ultimately mattered. I forgot to mention an order of spring rolls, but I guess this very fact says enough about them without my having to offer an interpretation.
Although we were rather satisfied with the general outcome of our meal, still there was something wrong. Maybe the lack of music, maybe our lonely table, maybe the strange works of "art" adorning the walls, it was hard to pinpoint. A desserts menu did not bring any relief since they mainly roamed on the dull side (ice-cream, fruit salad, creme caramel, etc..). Maybe liquor would help. This tasty albeit weird lunch for three came to LE130.
Bonjour Restaurant, 22 Al-Nasr St, New Maadi. Tel: 5202811/22
