22 - 28 February 2001
Issue No.522
|
Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 22 - 28 February 2001 Issue No.522 |
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Close quarters
Sometimes I don't understand this country: what's with Harry's Pub, Joe's Pub, Jackie's Joint and Harris Café -- is it going through an identity crisis, or what? I don't mean to say that they should necessarily be called Gaafar's Pub, Tamer's Joint and Haridi Café, but then again, why not? After all, who are Harry, Joe, Jackie and Harris?
Unrealistic considerations apart, Harris Café is a pretty nice -- albeit small -- outlet for specialty coffees, sandwiches, salads, crêpes and the like. Although it is located in Korba, one could well walk right past it and remain completely oblivious to its existence. It is a discreet hole in the wall, very basic, yet somehow extremely pleasant. The floors are tiled in the warmest of terra-cotta tones, there is a concentration of pine green in the air and a few tables scattered in the tiny interior. On busy nights customers are obliged to "hang out" outside on the sidewalk before a table can be made available. Once seated, most clients will indulge in the art of checking others out as they come in, especially since the door is a few steps above the seating area, affording an exclusive glimpse of newcomers. I know I indulged -- it's contagious.
On our night it was Valentine's Day: lots of Heliopolis up-and-coming youths yet, strangely, hardly any red bouquets to be seen. Mine rested gracefully on the overcrowded table while my friend and I attended to our stomachs. A Greek Salad (LE7) opened the meal, though it was more baladi than it probably wished to be: basically white cheese, tomatoes and green peppers all mixed up in an all too familiar way. No complaints, however; regardless of provenance, it was rather tasty. A Smoked Salmon Sandwich (LE13) won't harm on Valentine's, I thought, only to find the salmon rather scanty -- or maybe the bread was too thick. The waiter had mentioned, to my horror, that the sandwich also included boiled eggs, which I made sure to omit in a firm and disgusted manner.
Also on my plate was an order of Toasted Cheese and Tomato Sandwich (LE6.95) and that was really rather good. The cheese was melted, the hot and crispy toast had absorbed some of the butter, the tomatoes were fresh and, with my pinch of salt on top, it was better than anything else that night -- well, at least better than my friend's Chicken Crêpe (LE8). She described it as dry and sitting on a crêpe intended for sweet purposes -- she had expected a bran crepe with the savoury filling but ended up with the same batter that my Chocolate Nutella Crêpe (LE7.50) was made of. Now that was rather delicious, although I didn't lose my dignity in the Nutella as I had anticipated. A rather thin layer, I would say, restaurant-style. To wash it all down and enjoy the post-food smoke, an Iced Coffee (LE6.95) was summoned and pleased us in both form and content: tall glass, lots of layers, powerful aroma and comforting taste.
Harris Café (24 hrs), 7 Baghdad St, Al-Korba, Heliopolis.
Tel: 417 6796
© Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||
| ARCHIVES Letter from the Editor Editorial Board Subscription Advertise! |
WEEKLY ONLINE: www.ahram.org.eg/weekly Updated every Saturday at 11.00 GMT, 2pm local time weeklyweb@ahram.org.eg |
 Al-Ahram Organisation |
Recommend this page