Restaurant review:
Heart and Seoul
Nyier Abdou goes treasure hunting
Finding a satisfying meal in an unlikely place is cause for self-congratulation. When that meal is not merely agreeable, but, indeed, quite grand, it's time to spread the news.
Scepticism abounded as we ventured forth into the Cleopatra Hotel, off Tahrir Square, downtown. The Cleopatra has seen better days, locked, as it is, in a sort of 1970s time warp. But inside this less than stunning venue resides the word-of-mouth sensation Kowloon -- as authentic a "Korean- Chinese" restaurant as is possible in Cairo. Obscure, kitschy memorabilia from East Asia line the restaurant's display case -- I noted Asian dolls and a sizeable trophy from the "Japan-Korea Friendship Golf Tournament". I have not been keeping up with the Chinese calendar, but I suspect the one on the wall is not current.
Still, the atmosphere in Kowloon is agreeably genuine, and though the place is too large to feel like a traditional eatery, it still manages to shake off the dreaded taint of a hotel restaurant. When we visited, the only customers were Koreans in large, jolly groups -- people who looked much too comfortable for this to have been anything but a frequent evening setting. We ordered a round of soju -- the Korean rice liquor that I was delighted to find served here. It's not on the menu, but insiders know otherwise -- tables around us were littered with what look like small green-and-white juice boxes, which is how the soju at Kowloon (at LE35 a box) is unceremoniously served.
I came with vegetarians -- tough customers to please in Cairo's dining scene. Along with a range of meat and seafood dishes familiar to Chinese restaurants, however, Kowloon offers the rare opportunity of variety for the vegetarian, from hot pots to noodles, to stir-fries. The spring rolls and steamed dumplings we ordered as appetisers were vegetarian and a savoury addition to the array of pickled vegetables -- among them the Korean staple, kimchee (a spicy, pickled cabbage) -- which were brought out before the meal. They are all very tasty, but save room for the entrée.
Those knowledgeable about Korean food will find many familiar dishes disguised under bland-sounding names. A spicy soba noodle dish I knew as "bim bim" was masquerading on the menu as "cold noodles in hot sauce". Simple and not brutally spicy, they were spot on and I was glad to have found them. And while many Asian restaurants in Cairo have tofu on the menu, few actually ever have it in the restaurant. We tried the "Ma-Po bean curd", which came sautéed with vegetables in a flavourful sauce and is sure to appeal to those vegetarians and Asian food lovers who crave tofu as the ultimate comfort food.
The stir-fried mixed vegetables were crisp and light, though the mushrooms were canned, not fresh, and tasted so. The rice and vegetables in a stone pot was hearty and enjoyable, pleasing the vegetarians. We had another round of soju. We clinked tiny ceramic cups, celebrating a meal well done. We regretted that we were too full for dessert -- until we discovered that, strangely enough, there isn't any. Plates with a few pieces of fresh fruit arrived with the bill (LE185 for three, another LE70 for two boxes of soju).
Though Kowloon has been around for some eight years, proprietress Kim Minja took the helm a few years back, when her husband moved to Cairo for business. She has transformed the place into a welcome source of quality Asian foods difficult to find in more mainstream Asian restaurants. When unexpected popularity prompted the now defunct compact Korean gem Zee to seek expansion and wider appeal, the restaurant lost its charm -- and, eventually, its clientele. For purely selfish reasons, it's with trepidation that I offer you Kowloon.
Kowloon, First Floor, Cleopatra Palace Hotel, 2 Abdel-Salam Aref Street, Tahrir Square.
Open every day from 11.00am to 11.00pm. Tel. 575 9831
