21 - 27 December 2000
Issue No.513
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 21 - 27 December 2000 Issue No.513 |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Merely jesting
By Injy El-KashefRealising that the end of Ramadan is near, I find myself compelled to review a "tent" despite my personal aversion to this new trend. I simply fail to see the connection, and to understand why most people look at me like I just landed from Mars when I express my strong opinions on the matter. Nevertheless, as I understand this column to be a service, not (only) a culinary diary, a tent must be reviewed -- my conscience dictates it. My husband politely declined. My friend and I headed to Tanablet Al-Sultan with the enthusiasm of children on the first day of school, struggling with the instinctive desire to turn back at every step and wave our mommies good bye.
Tanablet Al-Sultan is as weird as they come. Up on Muqattam, it is a three-level affair set on a small terrain left empty the rest of the year. In the foreground is the tent, complete with tables, chairs, customers, shisha, a singer, etc. In the middle are tables under palm parasols precariously placed on a small hill with, in the background, the open sky. And since under no circumstances would I ever willingly subject my senses to the tortures of a pseudo-singer performing in a smoky claustrophobic tent, we sat outside, all the way at the top table. Once up in our nest, we began to realise that the whole situation was not as bad as all that. The smell of burning wood and shrubs feeding the large bonfire was delicious, instantly reminding me of the White Desert, whereupon I spontaneously lifted my eyes to the clear sky and saw quite a number of scintillating stars.
Since we were almost the only ones outside enjoying the coolness of the night, our orders took no time to materialise. My friend's mango juice was rather good and my tea perfectly mazbout. As for the food, we ordered a dish of fuul with butter, garlic and green peppers as well as a couple of charcoal-grilled shish tawouk sandwiches. The tawouk was extremely pleasant, nicely spiced (but not hot), very tender, full of vegetables and actually tasting of live fire. As for the fuul, it was disappointing: there was barely a trace of garlic, no peppers at all, no salt whatsoever, only a layer of grease swimming over whole beans.
Other items on the menu include different types of hamburgers and hot dogs, grilled chicken, many fuul and falafel options, a variety of eggy plates and a sandwich selection. However, let me put it like this: you do not have to eat to be happy, and sometimes the only way to be happy is by not eating. Tanablet Al-Sultan is the perfect place for a group outing to kill the post-Iftar hours (if they must be killed). There is something about the clarity of the air, the darkness of the open sky, the primitive setting, the stillness and the chill of the night that invites intimacy and friendliness. My friend and I found ourselves discussing issues we would never have considered broaching so casually, and ended up staying much, much longer than we had planned. Maybe a little game might also be fun. In a nutshell, it feels a little like camping: the food is never good (cheap though, LE30 here) but the moments unforgettable.
Tanablet Al-Sultan, first left turn once at the top of the Muqattam, opposite Al-Muqattam Mosque.
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