Restaurant review:
Guilt-free indulgence
In a world ridden with guilt, Greco is a pleasant alternative. Yasmine El-Rashidi indulges
There is nothing new about this locale; one of the places that popularised flavoured "freezes" and syrup-spiced coffees. Its name is not new, nor is its façade. In fact, except for the minor detail here and there, not much has changed since it first opened its doors in 1999. Except the number of customers, that is.
What started as a trickle, has soared to an average 300-350 customers a day -- a fact my friend and I quickly comprehended and confirmed when we trekked down to Road Nine to have our little tasting session.
With the excuse of a restaurant review shielding our calorie-conscious consciences, we let loose, gorging on cheesecake, spinach quiche, frappe freeze, carrot cake. And more.
The frappe freeze had us "mmmm"- ing in delight for the estimated four, or maybe two minutes that it lasted. The concoction of blended ice, vanilla powder, milk and flavoured syrup is an undescribably refreshing delight. And if you ask for it to be made with skimmed milk, it becomes a virtually guilt-free indulgence at 230 calories and a measly 1.2 grammes of fat. Take out the flavoured syrup addition (a choice of everything from strawberry, pineapple, chocolate, Irish cream and more) and you've cut another 70 calories yet are still left with sheer delight. A treat that for sure has already coined the term frappefreezaholic.
Accompanied by the orange chocolate chip muffin (packed with large, melting chocolate chips), well... one is left literally unable to converse due to intense preoccupation. My friend and I, for the record, literally forked up the crumbs.
For those with slightly more will, and slightly less inclination to indulge, Greco does offer low fat food options; the low-fat banana muffin (an estimated 120 calories and 2.5 grammes of fat), and the plain and chocolate low fat biscotti's (90 calories and one gramme of fat). The banana muffin tastes remarkably un-lowfat; not the normal cardboard-flavoured low-fat health snack commonly available on the market and marketed as "delicious". This one actually does have a taste. A nice one, that is.
For those who crave salt, the spinach quiche is a good option. Far too salty for my liking, the quiche is decent, very spinachy, but slightly disappointing in its lack of a crunchy crust.
"It's soggy," my spinach-loving friend complained. "It's tasty," she continued, "but soggy," she uttered in seeming disbelief.
She soon got over it, however, when we indulged in the carrot cake and cheesecake -- each of us with a fork in each, I may add.
The carrot cake was moist, slightly nutty, and covered in rich, thick icing. There seemed to be something missing, however; a little bit more moisture, a bit more cinnamon? Nevertheless, we still devoured it down to the last crumb and speck of icing.
The cheesecake was in a class of its own. Creamy, rich, covered in a fresh topping with succulent blueberries, and a crunchy, sugary crust. Everything about the cheesecake made me utter 'yummm'. It left me wanting all the other options; the chocolate chip cheesecake, the oreo-cookie cheesecake. The chocolate cake too.
Decor aside (sort-of sickly in its colours and hodge-podge of not very warm accessories), Greco is a sort-of Egyptian Godiva to the palette.
The assortment of both savoury and sweets is wide enough to cause much confusion as to what to choose. And for the coffee-holics, that choice is vast too; latte's, cappuccino, frappuccino, super- strong expresso shots. All the coffee beans are imported from world-famous Kittridge and Fredrikson, and alongside them a selection of the finest herbal teas too. For those nibbling on the low-fat options of everything, the health-geared teas -- that soothe the nerves and energise the spirit -- are the perfect accompaniment. And given Greco's Western approach of a "no hassle" atmosphere, one can sit and sip for hours without feeling out of place or that its time to go.
While Greco is not the kindest place to your wallet, it certainly does wonders to your mind; taking you -- if only momentarily -- to a very different place.
Our cheque: LE61.
Café Greco, Road 9, Maadi (just down the street from Pizza Hut).
