An interesting palette
An aimless walk around Zamalek leads Yasmine El-Rashidi to a delight of a discovery
Every part of every city has a shop or two that seem destined for failure. No matter what occupies their space -- clothes, food, books -- they somehow manage to flop. There are quite a few of those spots in Zamalek, most still fading, but a few of them transformed into gold pots by little works of wonder. Arabica, I predict, will be the turning point for this particular location that has changed hands more than just a few times in very few years.
On the outside, Arabica is nothing special; the café's entrance is small, nondescript -- the typical glass façade of an ice-cream parlour. When one walks in, it appears to be just that -- a cramped area with a ice-cream freezer, a fridge of drinks, and a small counter of gadgets; no menu in sight and nowhere to sit.
The blank expression on my face leads to a quick ushering up the narrow stairway painted a peaceful blue.
The interior is creative, modern, and tastefully done. The large windows overlooking the street are lined with bar-type seating, the back wall too offers that option, and scattered throughout the café are various stools, chairs, and booth-type seating arrangements in soothing tones of various colours.
As I waited for my order, I inspected the place some more.
It suddenly hit me that this café is far from the norm. Each table is covered with white paper, and instead of a vase with a rose, there is a cup with paint brushes and a small mixing palette of paint. For variety, one can purchase one of several wooden carvings (a clock, little figurines), and paint those instead.
My meal arrives quickly, and with a smile.
My first bite is of a salmon and horseradish sandwich. My expectations were not high -- "salmon" sandwiches in most places mean bread with a sliver of smoked salmon. At Arabica the salmon is not only fresh, but stuffed with generosity. Tasty, light, perfectly garnished with horseradish spread, and lightly toasted, the sandwich is more than I had anticipated.
My next bite was into a brie and tomato sandwich -- also on lightly toasted white bread. For anyone who likes brie, there will be no complaints -- except that the brie was not piled on as lovingly as the salmon.
My desert was a sampling of rice pudding and ice- cream. A big fan of rice pudding, this one did the concoction justice. Just the right consistency, and not too sweet, the pudding was creamy yet not too rich. The ice-cream, however, was far too sickly sweet for my liking.
As I indulged further on my rice pudding, I watched some of the customers doodle away on their papers, and took the liberty of approaching these creative characters to inquire about their food choices.
"Feteer" (Egyptian layered pastry) appeared to be on most people's plates.
"Delicious," one young woman said of her marinated peppers and haloumi cheese feteer. "I love feteer," she continued upon prodding. "A lot of places they're chewy. Here it's a bit crispy, very fresh. Very tasty."
Arabica's menu includes sweet and savoury feteers, a variety of creative salads, sandwiches, ice- creams, smoothies, and a selection of coffees, teas, and chocolate-based drinks. The menu is very vegetarian friendly, and the place solo-friendly.
Open from 8am, this is a gem of a place -- great for an escape anytime of day, and for any type of big or small, light or heavy, consumption.
My bill: LE40
ARABICA, 20 Al-Maraashly St -- on the corner of Ahmed Heshmat St, Zamalek. Tel: 735-7982
