14 - 20 February 2002
Issue No.573
|
Al-Ahram Weekly Online 14 - 20 February 2002 Issue No.573 |
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
One for the books
Injy El-Kashef devours a slice of history
When we entered the recently refurbished Alfi Bey, the waiters were all lined up inside the restaurant. The saw us stroll in and all at once began pointing toward a certain table. Try to imagine it: seven men dressed in the same uniform, some smiling, others dead serious, all looking you in the eye and pointing in the same direction. Intimidating, no? Well, when I saw this, hysterical laughter took over me and I sputtered: "Oh, how hospitable... Ohhh, how kind... Really, extremely welcoming... Umm...Do we have to sit here?"
We had been walking around town for hours running awful errands and dealing with people who seemed to be in very obvious need of a radical change in their lives when suddenly the words Alfi Bey appeared in golden letters on a pink marble front. I didn't know good old Alfi Bey had invested in a face-lift, but it was the kind of discovery that took place at the right moment since we were in the mood for meaty treats from expert hands, and Alfi Bey is, in a word, history.
We took our seats and a nice waiter took our orders (which was not an easy task for the poor man since our mental state was one of such utter confusion that we went through the entire menu, with him jotting down every request and then having to erase it as we changed our minds -- repeatedly). The first thing to come was a salad we had not ordered, but we dared not make a problem of it, only informed them gently that we had ordered pickled tomatoes, not baladi salad. The pickled tomatoes were excellent, though a little too hot for my taste, but the garlic was the usual delight. The yoghurt salad was equally good, after we had added a pinch of salt, but we ate it with the fresh shami bread and not with the requested vine leaves. These were appalling, fat and greasy, and were left untouched.
Our main courses took quite some time to materialise, giving us the opportunity to scan the restaurant with our sharp and perceptive eyes. We noticed that some details, like tablecloths and wall cleanliness, would have required attention; that most of the clientele was foreign; that Alfi Bey does not believe in alcohol; that the huge fridge containing all the drinks and desserts was rather out of place in the middle of the vestibule.
My Escalope Nature was insanely generous, with two very large pieces of meat sitting in an oblong plate with some boiled vegetables, some stuffed aubergines and some rice with nuts and livers. Simply huge. All the contents of my plate were delicious, the meat very tasty if a little tough. I had one piece and the other went to my dining companion who, on the other hand, had a modest portion of Kebab Halla bathing in an orange sauce with green peas and carrots. Huh? It looked like an unsuccessful improvisation on an otherwise perfect classic dish. Desserts are not a priority at Alfi Bey, since the only available option was a mahallabiya, soft and warm. No crème caramel, and, worst of all, no Umm Ali. Shocking.
Alfi Bey is still Alfi Bey no matter what, good and cheap, judging from our LE74 bill for this full meal and a bottle of water. Long live history.
Alfi Bey, Al-Alfi Street, Downtown.
Tel: 577 1888/4999
© 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