9 - 15 August 2001
Issue No.546
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 9 - 15 August 2001 Issue No.546 |
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Divine intervention
Injy El-Kashef hears it off the grapevine
Social butterflying exposes you to pieces of information you would otherwise have no access to. Nothing that any secret laboratory would kidnap your family to obtain, but the little juicy gossip that could, one day, have a permanent effect on your personal life. Who has a new job, who went bankrupt, who got divorced, who left the country -- all significant news when you think that the world is, after all, a sum of individuals. So when a friend is visiting from abroad and there is all this talk that begs for release, you go out, eat something and totally talk about people behind their back -- dine me, wine me, then put your sweet little lips to my ear.
What we didn't know was that El Gato Negro had been transformed into Bull's Eye (this is what happens when you're out of circulation for a while). Bull's Eye has a new kitchen that has been operational for six months, a diverse and extensive menu and the old tiny dance floor where you can sway sway sway those hips to Latin rhythms every Tuesday. And, of course, since Latin America flows through my veins, that was the night on which we went (Wednesday is Karaoke night, for those of us who like to make fools of themselves). The place was packed. The dance floor a disaster. Apologies right, left and centre; my own dance partner knocked my nose with his elbow -- a little accident I made sure to pay back (eye for an eye).
My dining partner and I were in a fishy mood, so we started with a Bull's Eye Salad, which comes with shrimps, processed crab meat, tomatoes, mushrooms, cucumbers and carrots in a delightfully sharp little vinaigrette dressing. It is quite a large salad, so skip it if your stomach is not feeling that big. My first course consisted of Sautéed Shrimps in Garlic and Butter Sauce. So creamy, so fresh, so garlicky, so appetising -- they finished too quickly. I ordered bread. "Injy what are you doing?" "Just what it looks like. That sauce can hide but it can never run away from me." Soaking my little bits of bread in the remaining sauce until I was rudely interrupted by a dashing beau who asked me for this dance. Shame and embarrassment: I actually had to think about it twice considering what I was leaving on the table.
By the time I came back, red faced and sweaty, my Paella was waiting for me and my partner's Shrimps in Curry Sauce were almost finished. Very, very tasty, excellent curry, big fat shrimps, delicious rice. As for my Paella, it included shrimps, calamari, two or three clams, green peas and lots of rice. It tasted very nice, but paella was originally the leftovers of the rich given to the poor and I have a feeling the rich ate a lot more seafood than the meagre elements on my plate. Delicious, but not so nutritious. As for desserts, well, neither of the two items listed on the menu was available. This we did not appreciate, although it was definitely better for our figures that way -- a wiser hand had arranged it like that so that our bill should only come up to LE160.
Bull's Eye (formerly El Gato Negro) 32 Jeddah St, off Mohieddin Abul-Ezz, Mohandessin
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