6 - 12 December 2001
Issue No.563
|
Al-Ahram Weekly Online 6 - 12 December 2001 Issue No.563 |
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Unexpected solutions
Injy El-Kashef seeks spiritual solace
The endless search for a new Chinese restaurant continues. For the past couple of weeks I have been seeking Chinese that could have the potential of adding a valuable new experience to my life -- gastronomically speaking, of course. We read in a dining guide about something called Delirium Tremens (yes, I know; I had the same reaction), which specialises in Thai cuisine. And so off we went, and found ourselves in a strange and dark corner of Maadi where nothing seemed even remotely familiar.
We arrived at Lola's Corner suitably famished. Although completely empty, its slick and attractive décor attained elegance while successfully avoiding pomposity or self-consciousness. We approved. Delirium Tremens, however, had apparently ceased to exist as a Far Eastern outlet, and had turned into the bar at the end of the "complex." Still fully operational were Viva and Poco Loco, both sharing the same chef and the same menu, but offering different seating areas.
My friend and I took our time with the menu. He settled on a chorizo appetiser with corn, celery and cucumbers, which he seemed to relish con mucho gusto. I had opted for delicious little pastries filled with onions and minced meat. So far everything had rolled along very smoothly, and we could call ourselves happy diners. The salad that we shared contained sweet corn, onions and green peppers, and was smothered in a delicious and tangy vinaigrette that I remember now with the utmost respect.
Main courses brought a surprise. My tournedos arrived looking and smelling so good that I found it difficult to wait for my partner's main course to arrive before attacking. I managed, if only because my parents did such a very good job teaching me table manners. Judging from the food so far, my friend was expecting the meal of his life to arrive in a matter of seconds. Instead, a huge soup dish landed in front of him. He looked at it. Then he looked at me. "And what is this?" he asked with round eyes, trying very hard not to believe what he saw. One bad word after another was muttered at the soup dish as he discovered that the meat he had expected to eat grilled and juicy he was now supposed to fish out of about four litres of water. I attempted to suppress hysterical laughter since, strangely, he found nothing amusing in this little episode.
My tournedos was absolutely divine. I repeated this little fact with every bite I took, just to twist the knife in the wound a little more. And wounded he was. I would not share even a morsel -- my parents would have been ashamed.
Consolation came in the form of a crème caramel that wiped all traces of the soup nightmare away. As for my dessert, it was a work of art: two pancakes rolled around a thick, exquisite, mind- blowing caramel filling, and topped with castor sugar. Our meal, with beverages, left us LE140 poorer.
Lola's Corner, 15 Road 9B, Maadi.
Tel: 359 5587
© Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||
| ARCHIVES Letter from the Editor Editorial Board Subscription Advertise! |
WEEKLY ONLINE: www.ahram.org.eg/weekly Updated every Saturday at 11.00 GMT, 2pm local time weeklyweb@ahram.org.eg |
 Al-Ahram Organisation |
Recommend this page