26 April - 2 May 2001
Issue No.531
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 26 April - 2 May 2001 Issue No.531 |
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All good things end
One of my favourite restaurants in Cairo, one that holds cherished memories of the best farfalle in cream sauce to be had in the city, has recently ceased to exist. El Cinzano is forever lost. It has metamorphosed into an excellent Lebanese restaurant called Tabboula, but the point is that, well, it is lost. The interior has not changed that much, though, a few minor details of the ex-Mexican decor having been recreated to suit the new Levantine spirit.
My friend and I were awfully indecisive. First, there was the significant factor that many Lebanese meat dishes are based on lamb, and that is a zone I do not enter, much less dwell in. Second, there was the fact that hardly any fish is available on the menu, which leaves us with poultry -- and I am also not into winged beings these days.
Since the time it was taking us to place our orders and the number of questions we were asking were beginning to take their toll on even those sweetest of waiters, I decided, as a form of consolation, to order the drink called Laban Ayran without even inquiring about it (although it is clearly a dairy affair, and I'm not into milk either). I should have. Although it is no more than rayeb with salt and garlic, I really did not enjoy it, especially considering the difficult and disagreeable mood I was in.
Our appetisers came. We had agreed to two cold and two hot and ended up with many goodies. The Batarekh was swimming in olive oil and topped with slices of garlic. It was heavenly, expensive and absolutely appetising. The Tabbouleh was similarly good, very fresh, very lemony, with not too much burghul and I loved it although it was a little too salty, even for me. Next we indulged in the spinach rolls, reminiscent of sambousek but not quite, which were crispy and perfectly golden -- but, again extra salt. The killer, the mother of all appetisers, the best decision we ever took in our whole entire lives, was the Grilled Halloumi Cheese. Of course it was salty, but it is supposed to be, and I wouldn't have it any other way no matter what.
Next came the main courses. We went typical: I had the Shawerma and my friend had the Arayes (locally known at the butchers' as hawawshi). Quite honestly, both were very good, we really enjoyed them, but tears of joy were not streaming down our faces. One might ask "well, should they have been?" and since the answer is "not necessarily." I'll just say that the food was quite delicious. And that's exactly what I told the handsome executive chef when he inquired, in his Lebanese accent, about the food. He recommended the Chef's Special and the Layali Lebnan for dessert. I wanted tears of joy and I got them, only I tried to hold them back and pretended my eyes were watering because of the shishas being smoked. We're talking qishta, honey, nuts, mastic. We're talking serious dessert that cut any mourning for El Cinzano short. One has to keep an open mind: good things come to those who wait -- and pay LE160 for dinner.
Tabboula, 1 Latin America St, behind the American Embassy, Garden City.
Tel 531 5261
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