Issue No. 591
Living
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20 - 26 June 2002 Issue No. 591 Living |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Recommend this page | ||
Melting stones
Injy El-Kashef follows tradition
For months and months I had been planning to go to Al-Mawal on the Blue Nile Boat moored alongside the Zamalek Corniche. The first time I had heard of this Lebanese restaurant was when a friend of Palestinian origin -- whose taste I trust as he is clearly a gentleman and a bon vivant -- mentioned it as the best Lebanese food he had tasted in Cairo. He also said it was on the expensive side but well worth every piastre.
The restaurant is spacious, housing a great number of wicker seats arranged around large tables, giving the impression of a banquet hall rather than a venue for cozy, personal encounters. The Middle Eastern decor is harmoniously elegant, drawing on established oriental decorative elements like coloured glass, chandeliers and cushions. I must say it was a pleasure walking in there, the sound of Fayrouz's voice floating in the air, the Nile visible from all angles through the panoramic windows, the wicker chairs bathing in the warm afternoon sun and a group of smiling waiters showing us in.
Being the only people at the restaurant does not account for the careful and prompt service we received; many were the times that this restaurant reviewer has sat in a deserted eatery trying to get a waiter's attention, having to wait until the staff finished joking or watching TV before they acknowledged my desperate waving. But not at Al-Mawal; we only had to look up and a pleasant man was coming our way (isn't life beautiful?).
With the price warning in mind, we ordered a lemon juice with mint and a fruit cocktail to assist us while we made a careful selection from the extensive appetiser section of the menu. This was Lebanese food after all -- mezzeland. We started with incredibly tasty Fried Halloum Cheese. One of my favourite tastes in the whole world, fried halloum has the perfect balance of flavours and textures, especially when executed to perfection as it was at Al-Mawal. From the cold mezze section we chose Aubergines with Pomegranate Sauce, which tickled the palate in a delightful and unexpected way. Soaking in vinaigrette, the sweet and sour aubergines were a wonderful accompaniment to the cheese and the Tabboula -- a suggestion made by the waiter which I could not resist.
My main course was none other than grilled veal kebab, smelling and tasting of the charcoal fire atop which it was cooked, tender and simply, well, perfect. I had to keep dipping into my friend's garlic paste that accompanied her marinated grilled boneless chicken half. She was not crazy about her chicken, though in my modest opinion it tasted even better than my kebab. Before grilling, it had sat soaking for hours, I guessed, in a ingenious marinade that infused its every tender fibre.
Realising we had consumed a rather healthy meal, we decided something needed to be done about that -- it brings bad luck to break traditions. We thus proceeded to order Layali Lubnan, a dessert which could melt stones, which could change lives: mehallabiya topped with fresh cream, banana slices, nuts and honey. I took the first spoonful, nearly fainted, fluttered my eyelashes, moaned and looked at my friend. Her reaction was instant -- she looked up at the waiter and ordered another spoon on the spot. It was now my turn to witness the same effect on her.
Our LE171 bill taken care of, we disembarked from the boat, dessert still our topic of discussion.
Al-Mawal, Blue Nile Boat (last boat in the Tahrir direction), Zamalek Corniche
Tel 735 3112/14/16/18
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