11 - 17 April 2002
Issue No.581
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 11 - 17 April 2002 Issue No.581 |
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All grown up now
Injy El-Kashef finds some things should change
We arrived at Dahab in the early evening. For the first time in my entire Dahab history I was at a friend's house and not in a LE5-a-night camp where the showers are 200m away from the room and where one must pretend one prefers sleeping in the courtyard to admire the open sky for fear of sounding uncool and admitting that in fact the sand feels safer than the mattress in the room. Staying at a friend's house is a completely different experience, especially when the terrace overlooks the sea, the company is great and one can play Giuseppe di Stefano while sipping a spiked coffee at sunset.
Two wanted to stay behind and crash early. The other three went strolling in the Masbat -- that place which is greater than the sum of its parts; drawing its distinctive character from a collection of unmatched styles, all aiming for the same goal, each trying to reach it through a different path. As I walked past the bazaar I remembered myself over 10 years ago, when I could not even conceive of the idea that I should be seen walking around in anything other than baggy tie-dye pants and a shapeless top, barefoot of course, and with hair that needed to be shaved for lack of other untangling methods. Times have really changed -- may the heavens be praised for that.
My quasi-resident friend nonchalantly suggested that we grab a bite at Nesima. The name did not arouse anything in me: not curiosity; not even dread. But once we walked in I instantly knew it had been a good idea. Not necessarily because Nesima is a respectable hotel with a fairly important diving centre and a swimming pool, but because the eating area is extremely pleasant, dimly lit, on the sand, basic but clean and generally quite reassuring.
My dining friends ordered French fries and grilled calamari with lemon and garlic sauce. I was having none of that. What I needed was a big juicy delicious steak and I could have one at Nesima. The beers arrived cold and accompanied by a plate of crudités soaked in lemon and a simple but just right oil-based dressing. So far no one could ask for more, but I thought the steak would be the real test. The calamari arrived. The portion was large, the sauce looked wonderful, and the taste was simply faultless. It is true that the juice of another lemon could have added richness to the flavour, but the garlic more than made up for that. The cleverly proportioned calamari slices were very well grilled and not even rubbery.
Now for the steak. The real test was sitting in front of me, absolutely huge, smelling wonderful, a beautiful sunburned colour warmly enveloped by pepper sauce. I ran my knife through it, amazed at its tenderness. I brought a juicy bite to my mouth and I was one very happy woman. That steak was top-notch quality, even by Cairene five-star standards. My Dahab friend was pleasantly surprised. He had tried Nesima on several occasions and had concluded from our dinner that the chef must have changed. We certainly advise Nesima to keep that chef -- and their prices as reasonable as LE100 for such a meal and three Sakkara beers.
Nesima, near southern entrance to Al-Shatt (main beach), Al-Masbat, Dahab
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