Restaurant review
Hitting the road
Injy El-Kashef is charmed by diversity
It's heat time again. Time to hit the road in the North Coast direction and stop by any one of a multitude of restaurants now catering for the highway travellers. Last year, I pulled over at Omar's Oasis, where fresh feteer (a large round flaky pastry) is served, along with numerous dishes, ranging from light snacks to full meals.
This year, taking the first of many other drives to come down that rather dull and summer-congested highway, I decided to nourish my body at the beginning of the journey, rather than its middle. So I stopped by the long row of cafés and restaurants immediately preceding the toll station.
The number of options is unbelievable. It almost seemed like Game'at Al-Dowal Al- Arabiya Street right on the highway, with outlet after outlet vying for holidaymakers' attention. Other than the usual fast food fare, with representation for almost every major chain, there are some inexplicably fancy places out there.
I parked my car and took a quick stroll down the pavement, unable to make a choice. Soon enough, however, the sight of lush-coloured leather attracted my attention. A café/ restaurant by the name of Bellisarius had laid out different coloured and sized leather fauteuils out on the pavement, their shapes and hues bright and flashy in the setting sun. I liked this rather unusual sight and found my steps heading in that direction without any order from my brain.
The interior was no less funky, decked with alternating fauteuils, wooden armchairs and snazzy ottomans. The eclectic, yet harmonious composition was a real feast for the eyes, immediately raising my expectations of the food. The menu in one hand and an Oreo Milk Shake in the other, I browsed through the extensive choices, which covered every conceivable food section ever created. From salads to sandwiches, from crêpes to snacks, from creative appetisers to serious main courses, and ending with a huge desserts section -- that menu was a work of art.
I started with a Caesar salad with chicken, which was incredibly good in content, yet slightly disappointing in form. First, the lettuce, which one expects to consist of crispy hearts, was actually long strips of chewy leaves. The chicken, which is normally sliced relatively thin and tossed in the salad, was presented as five wide chunks sitting atop the salad and crunchy croutons. The whole was delicious, with the generous Parmesan shavings and the perfect vinaigrette dressing, but one had to avoid conjuring past experiences of the same dish to enjoy it.
As for my émincé de veau with mushroom sauce, I ate the mushrooms but left the meat after the first bite. Although the sauce was succulent and the mushrooms plentiful, the meat cut was not lean, and its consistency was rubbery and fibrous. My main course, therefore, changed from an essentially carnivorous dish to a vegetarian one, with only the mashed potatoes and mushrooms making it to my stomach.
I was too full for dessert and with that simply excellent Oreo Shake now fully gulped down, I was ready to hit the road after taking care of the LE60 bill.
Bellisarius, before Toll Station, Cairo- Alexandria Desert Road
