22 - 28 November 2001
Issue No.561
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 22 - 28 November 2001 Issue No.561 |
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Unnatural phenomena
Injy El-Kashef examines the metamorphosis of a chicken
The last time I went to Muqattam's Andrea was when I was a very little girl. We were riding with a friend of my aunt's; they were all telling each other spooky stories that were in one way or another related to the Muqattam's winding road. They featured spirits of young girls stopping cars, hitchhikers who took you to the City of the Dead, strange creatures creeping out of the hill on a foggy night... but the worst part was the practical demonstration that our driver offered. He came to a certain point on the uphill road, stopped the car and, lo and behold, the car started moving upwards rather than downwards, for reasons that he claimed were related to a certain corpse being buried under that spot.
Many many years later, having become a Muqattam resident myself, and experiencing nothing spooky about the area except for the howling winter winds, I thought it might be a good idea to visit Andrea again, especially after the much needed face-lift it has just undergone. So off I drove with my dining companion in the direction the signs indicated, our mouths already dribbling in anticipation of some juicy animal flesh. Both the inner restaurant and the open-air area were completely empty, except maybe for the presence of a cat or two. I was very touched at their consideration of my personal comfort when I sat on the low chair and found that I could actually stretch out my feet as I see everyone else do all the time.
Time to order. A sweet waiter with the kindest eyes came over and fluttered his long eyelashes at us, explaining in the most courteous and considerate of tones that the Andrea marinade, whether for chicken or meat, was out of this world. We had a few rather unimpressive mezze first: a little dish of gooey tomiya (garlic paste), a bland dish of baba ghannoug, some pickled tomatoes and some stuffed vine leaves. Well, we were certainly not jumping out of our seats in joy; merely scooping up a few bites here and there while we awaited the food.
My friend's mixed grill was not very impressive in quantity, containing two small units of pinky-finger-sized kofta, two of kebab and two of shish tawouk. He is usually quite an expressive eater, but this time I could have used the help of a loudspeaker to figure out what he was saying about the food. My plate of shish tawouk, on the other hand, was really very good--and the waiter was right: the marinade is wonderful where chicken is concerned. But that should be no surprise: after all, Andrea does to chicken what ghost stories around a crackling fire do to my morale on a cold winter's night.
We topped the meal off with fresh, warm mahalabiya and a chocolate mousse, bringing the bill to LE107, including drinks.
Andrea, Road 9, next to the telephone exchange, Muqattam.
Tel: 507 9255
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