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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 23 - 29 November 2000 Issue No.509 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 23 - 29 November 2000 Issue No.509
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters How much is that doggy...?
By Injy El-KashefAfter our quick bite at Steers last week in Mohandessin, we passed a gorgeous café that really caught our attention. It looked rather exceptional and had an enticing feel to it that we barely managed to resist. It had beautiful chandeliers casting a warm soft light, Baroque murals with chubby cherubs and grey clouds, polished red marble floors, tiny round tables and elegantly upholstered chairs looking directly onto the street, not to mention tall, young and handsome waiters in black trousers and waistcoats with long white aprons tied around their waists, confidently swinging their trays about. It was a pretty sight indeed and it was, incidentally, also the Trianon, so no wonder.
A few days later, we found ourselves, as if by a miracle, in Mohandessin again (of course, the human subconscious always manages to create the perfect reason), taking our seats as close to the street as possible -- a café trottoir, at long last! We chose different sandwiches and hot drinks, begging the waiter to speed it up so that we could catch Al-Madina at the Odeon. They obliged, and soon enough we could lay our hands on the good things that lay before us. The Pain Baganette (sic!) was an interpretation of the pain bagnat known to the south of France, consisting mainly of butter, tuna, diced green peppers and tomatoes spread on two slices of brown bread. Delicious and nutritious.
It was an excellent beginning, which was confirmed by the second item: the Trianon Chicken Sandwich. In a small baguette was a layer of butter, broiled chicken, asparagus and mushrooms (both canned, unfortunately). I thought fresh ingredients would have made a mighty difference, although it still tasted perfectly pleasant. The third, and best, sandwich was a Four Seasons, which meant fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, endives, mushrooms, beef salami, olives and butter in German brown bread. This one was simply drop-dead delicious. A real bomb.
As for the coffee, my husband had a mocca, which he enjoyed so much he smoked a cigar with it, and I had a chocolate cappuccino that I enjoyed so much I regretted smoking with it. Everything is perfect, except for one thing: there is, for some obscure and twisted reason, a dog that gets parked on the sidewalk in front of the Trianon. We paid our LE62.50 bill while humming some Piaf and stayed close to the wall on our way out, for this Cerberus is not your friend and you can just forget about being nice to doggy.
Trianon, Gam'at Al-Duwal Al-Arabiya St., Mohandessin.
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