31 Jan. - 6 Feb. 2002
Issue No.571
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 31 Jan. - 6 Feb. 2002 Issue No.571 |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Restaurant review
Plain solace
Injy El-Kashef is happy enough
Downtown Cairo is an area we all should visit more often. I am not only talking of the gorgeous buildings (some of which have recently re-emerged in all their splendour after the re- painting of the edifices and the beautification of the streets) the millions of shoes on display, the shocking lingerie or even the crowds and peddlers one must struggle through. I am talking of more basic things, like getting to know the names of the streets and landmarks, where the cinemas are located, where the old Greek grocer is who might give you some delicious Peccorino cheese, where to find excellent cigars at incredible prices or even where the best place to sell some gold might be.
Al-Madyafa is also located downtown, after the Jewish Synagogue. I have driven past it many times and kept it in mind for an emergency pizza when the need should present itself, as I could read in big bold green and orange letters the words Pizza Italiana affixed to the window. A quick peep through my car window revealed nice wrought-iron chairs and chandeliers, giving the impression of an elegant forgotten downtown café.
The emergency situation presented itself a few days ago and Al-Madyafa was right there -- a golden opportunity. We strolled in, and to our surprise the place turned out to be several times larger than we thought. It is long and relatively wide (with lots of unused space, my practical little mind tells me), with tables lined up against dirty pink and yellow walls. Hm. Not quite what I had in mind.
The waiter saw us reading the pizza menu and asked if we would be interested in a more comprehensive one. Although we answered in the affirmative, the menus never materialised, until I saw another waiter passing nonchalantly by: "Excuse me, your colleague was meant to bring over some menus but he disappeared," I said. It took him a few minutes to assimilate my speech, then a bright look invaded his face "Ohhhh... So you need the menus, then?" Incredible. I answered in the affirmative again, this time spelling everything out clearly since my previous answer had obviously misguided him: "Yes-please-I-would- like-the-menus-that-would-be-very-useful," making sure to stress the syllables properly. Mamma mia.
My friend's Chicken Pizza was quite good, he said -- and he should know: he is Italian -- and, quite honestly, though I must force myself to admit it, so was my Siciliana. Of course, my Siciliana was really a Napoletana, with black olives and anchovies, but never mind, I love Sicily. The pizzas were good because they were not greasy, not dry, not too saucy, not too cheesy, not too anything, in fact; but not too great either. I would say they were fine. Actually, they are probably much better than the main courses and complicated dishes listed on the menu, which included four or five pasta options, a sandwich section, a few salads and, of course, every small gastronomical enterprise's pride and glory: "pikata mashroum" and the like. At least pizza was safe and good with fresh toppings and a reasonable base dough, and although some desserts seemed tempting (a banana split is always a good idea), following the same logic we were content with our delicious fresh mango and strawberry juices.
Though we also contemplated the possibility of a shisha, we figured our time was probably too precious to wait for that too, and so, our LE40 bill settled, we walked calmly out of there, satisfied but unimpressed.
Al-Madyafa, Adli Street, Downtown
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