Restaurant review:
Shelter from the Starbuck's syndrome
Fatemah Farag runs away from latté and into the arms of coffee with milk
Going out for coffee has become somewhat overbearing. Coffee shops are "in" and they compete to offer the plushest sofas, the niftiest decor, the trendiest music, the fanciest brew -- concoctions served in tall glasses, plungers, ornamental mugs, all the rage in coffee paraphernalia -- at a price. As patrons we must buy it all: coffee, gimmick and philosophy.
Simonds downtown offers none of these. The walls are freshly painted yet bare with the exception of an old mirror at one end of the shop and a few "no smoking" signs. The air conditioner drains excess water through a hose and into a plastic jerkin behind the cash register, the stools are uncomfortable aluminum contraptions and the only table is a too-thin marble slab running along the walls. Here there are no grandes, lattes or frappaccinos. An old coffee machine makes cappuccino, espresso, tea and hot chocolate, all served in no-frills white cups in saucers -- unless you ask for a glass. A selection of fruit next to the machine on the marble bar-top delimits the range of fresh juice available on any given day. Last Thursday, when four of us stopped in for breakfast, there were five bananas, two pomegranates, a handful of guavas and some oranges.
Simonds, in its austerity, has long been a regular haunt for professionals, shop owners and other downtown dwellers. "We have a history that goes back over 50 years," the man behind the register told us proudly.
Tempted by sugar-crusted brioche in the window, we entered and were quick to select our morning fare. A diligent waiter equipped with plastic plates, napkins and small pastry forks followed us between a small glass case of savoury goodies incubated by a warming light bulb and another larger case displaying a variety of sweets.
Finally, laden with plates we perched upon our stools and directed our attentions to the coffee/ juice bar, promptly ordering an orange juice, a cappuccino, two espressos and one tea with milk. The orange juice received a favourable evaluation, ditto for the coffee; the tea with milk was no less than therapeutic. On previous visits I have had tried the hot chocolate and can vouch for its soundness.
But on to more substantial fare. The spinach pâté is a flaky -- if a bit greasy -- filo stuffed with spinach and white cheese. The cheese tart was soft, warm and wonderful. Consensus was that the croissant was too dry, although my husband pointed out that it was good for coffee- dunking. Unsampled options included a hamburger-filled pâté and a pizza topped with pulverised anchovies.
And then the sweets. I opted for the millefuille with jam and was disappointed to discover a dry pastry. But the error of choosing poorly was mine, as there certainly were more interesting options. The Argentine, for example, is an almond pastry covered in powdered sugar and wrapped in tinfoil. It too was dry, but due to its tastiness we rationalised that perhaps an Argentine is supposed to be parched. There were chocolate covered sables, pastries stuffed with dried fruits, a selection of petite four and a Swiss roll for which Simonds is well known. None of these were sampled but all appeared to warrant the effort.
Simonds is the stable partner: it is consistent, unpretentious and does not promise more than it delivers. It offers basic comforts: hot drinks, warm fresh savoury pastry and a hit-and-miss but fun sweet pastry selection. And like the patrons who invariably light up their cigarettes under the no- smoking signs, at Simonds you can be yourself.
The price for three croissants, a cheese tart, a spinach filo, a millefuille, an Argentine, an orange juice, a cappuccino, two espressos and a tea with milk came to LE32.
Downtown Simonds is the counterpart of the perhaps better-known, Zamalek outlet on 26 July Street, which is a bit more upmarket and generally more crowded. We discovered that they also run an outlet in Dokki.
Simonds, 29 Sherif Street, Downtown, tel: 3938519
