2 - 8 August 2001
Issue No.545
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 2 - 8 August 2001 Issue No.545 |
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Curiouser and curiouser
Injy El-Kashef goes down the rabbithole
The original plan was to go to the Conrad Hotel and review the newly opened Don Haridi poolside restaurant. Got there with my friend. Parked with extreme difficulty. Up we went to the pool, hoping for a nice late lunch. Were told the kitchen begins its secret operations at 7pm. Tried to coax them by disclosing my true identity but the little seduction plan failed to produce the desired effect. All I managed to extract was an offer to sip a nice drink by the pool until the promised hour arrived. No way I was going to drive there again on an empty stomach. Was in such a bad mood from hunger that I would have stopped the car right in the middle of Tahrir traffic and picked a fight at the slightest provocation, rolling up my sleeves, letting loose the lion's mane on my head and all the rest of the show.
So, decided to follow my friend's clever Plan B and walk to the World Trade Centre Annex and try the food court there, the one right under Cinema Renaissance. There is an extremely easy way of walking from within the Conrad into the annex, but in this we failed as well. Murphy's Law was being applied with a heavy hand to our little outing and what was meant to be a simple stroll through a couple of corridors turned into a crazy and frustrating rush through what seemed like a labyrinth. Alice, I'm sure, was much luckier in Wonderland.
We asked the Cheshire Cat about directions and he pointed with that awful grin to a little secret passage that had been there all along. In we went and, lo and behold, we were finally through. The annex's food court is no ballroom. It looks more like that place in the underground tram where the maintenance guy walks and you wonder how the tram hasn't minced him so far. We took our seats on one of those tiny few tables and immediately placed our orders -- starving to death. My friend began with a chocolate milkshake, which tasted purely of chocolate powder, sugar and water -- not even milk. Your five- year-old would give you a dirty look if you fixed him something like that to drink. On the other hand, my fresh apple juice was absolutely delicious, despite the fact that it tasted slightly of preservatives, so a mixture had obviously taken place.
Food time. Her cheese omelette was, honestly, a little dull. I mean, it was a decent omelette that came in a roll, but nothing to rave about. My fetuccine was very good with lots of butter, fresh mushroom slices and a perfect seasoning. The food situation was quite good, so I went ahead and got myself a crepe with bananas and chocolate sauce that did wonders for my mood. Some whipped cream to tone down the sweetness, a fresh and exquisite crepe, some hot and thick chocolate sauce and we're rolling. In a doggie bag we took a smoked salmon sandwich that contained everything it should, like onions, butter and capers. After the LE54 bill, we had a sip of a bottle that said "Drink Me" and slipped right out of that delightful garden.
Food Court,
World Trade Centre Annex
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