25 - 31 October 2001
Issue No.557
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 25 - 31 October 2001 Issue No.557 |
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Resturant review
Family ties
Injy El-Kashef plays house
One of the most rewarding things in life, I find, is being able to return some of the care one's parents have constantly lavished on us -- or at least tried to. So every once in a while, if one has the chance to take them on a holiday, plan an event they will enjoy or take them out to dinner, it can feel quite good for all concerned. Last week, therefore, I took my genitors out to dinner at the Four Corners' La Piazza. I was very happy to take them somewhere they had never been. I arrived first, waited for a few minutes, and saw them stroll in elegantly. "Hello, beauty," my mother said. "Hello, Nefertiti," my father chimed in. "Hello, gorgeous people," I replied. Beautiful start.
Time to order. My father is very cautious: he has been in similar situations before and knows exactly what is going to happen. This time, he chooses a shortcut. He tells my mother: "Tell me what you would like to eat, darling, so I can order it." He knows she'll be swapping plates anyway, whatever his appetite settles on -- she has never once failed to do this, always with the utmost coyness and charm. My mother, though, is being recalcitrant. She doesn't like his tone, and proceeds to order exactly what she wants. Amazing how reverse psychology can achieve what nothing else has, in 30 years of marriage.
My mother and I decide to share a Fettuccine with Mushrooms and Chicken in a Creamy Sauce. We exchange silent and enthusiastic looks of approval upon tasting the house pasta; our voices ring out as one in reply to my father's request for a taste. "No." Sometimes one must be firm -- concise, precise and to the point. Nothing else works. My father, in turn, relishes his tangy Calamari Salad, commenting that he has never tried calamari presented this way, that he finds it truly appetising, that he would be glad to share some. "No." I am feeling a little guilty nonetheless, and so force him to try some of our fresh Marinated Mushroom Salad, which we all consent is delightful with a little vinaigrette, crispy lettuce bits and olives.
Main courses arrive as my mother is raving about her grandson and what a little monkey he has become. My father has cleverly chosen a Fillet of Seabass, knowing that she stopped doing fish a long time ago. As choices go, it is both safe and eminently successful. My mother has the Emincé de Veau with Mushroom Sauce (oh yes, mushrooms again). For once, she is entirely content with what sits before her, and slices bite after bite off an interminable amount of meat bathing in a rich brown sauce. Meanwhile, I dig into my Fillet of Chicken Breast with Curry Sauce like there is no tomorrow. Delicious, all of it absolutely delicious.
As for dessert, I have a most wonderful Crème Bržlée that no one tries to share with me as they are squabbling over a Nougat with Fruit Coulis. Happy to put smiles on their dear faces, even at the cost of LE275.
La Piazza, Four Corners, 4 Hassan Sabri Street, Zamalek.
Tel: 737 2119
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