Restaurant review:
Friends in deed
Colette Kinsella drags herself off her sun lounge to sample the delights of sunset dining in Sinai
Dahab, South Sinai -- the very words evoke cool sea breezes, palm trees swaying in the wind, camels and their Bedouin riders cruising gently across the sands. Yes, it certainly is a hard life here on the Red Sea coast, what with all those decisions to make about which part of the sea to roll into for a refreshing snorkel or which section of The Sunday Independent to tackle first. But when it comes to deciding on the venue for dinner, my choice is always clear.
"Come as a guest and leave as a friend" is the motto of Friends Restaurant, one of my favourites in Dahab and just one of the many open-air eateries strung out along the seafront. In an attempt to entice prospective diners, all restaurants have a very impressive array of fish on show, as well as several determined hawkers on the pavement inviting passers-by to come in and sit down -- every time you pass by, in fact, which could be several times an evening. This can become a tad tiresome, to say the least, but Friends is one of the few places which is hassle-free. The first major point in its favour, therefore.
The choicest seats are right by the sea, and I mean RIGHT by the sea. As we sit down, kick off our shoes and get comfortable on the cushions while scanning the menu, the sea laps against the coral, just a few feet from our table. The sound of the waves breaking coupled with the extreme chill- out music in the background is better than any anti- depressant; if I were any more relaxed, I'd be in a coma.
And the food: well, the menu offers something for everyone's taste. There is a selection of vegetarian dishes, as well as meat, chicken and, of course, fish. Inspired by our location, the vegetarians order Bedouin Vegetables and the mixed veggie grill with mushrooms. The carnivores go for shark steak and lemon chicken, with a Greek salad and tehina to start. The dishes arrive with a flourish, prettily presented with an eco-friendly onion-skin candle sitting on each plate, like a miniature pumpkin.
The salad is good, the tomatoes, green peppers and onions are all fresh and crisp, and the whole lot is topped off with a tasty cream cheese. The tehina, on the other hand, is something I would willingly sell my grandmother for: tart flavour, smooth texture and with undertones of garlic that even the most ardent of garlic haters -- the diner on my left -- fails to resist. And to mop up the whole lot we have delicious, hot Bedouin bread.
And on to the mains: I am ecstatic about the Bedouin Vegetables. The earthenware pot is full of steaming, aromatic and crisp vegetables smothered in a full-bodied tomato sauce. The grilled vegetables are no less disappointing; I'd pawn the other grandmother just for the secret of the sauce. The shark, though, turns out to be slightly disappointing (aren't they always) -- my friend was expecting a steak of Jaws-ian proportions, and had to make do with baby reef shark instead -- but was still very palatable, not too dry or tough. The lemon chicken, smothered in a yoghurt sauce, was given the thumbs up and deemed very tasty indeed. Each dish is served with rice, and the shark steak was also accompanied by a fairly average sea-food soup. To wash it all down we choose from a selection of fresh fruit juices -- orange, mango, fruit cocktail -- all of which are excellent.
And for those in search of their just desserts, the Umm Ali looked quite enticing -- though we decided on teas and coffees instead.
Friends is reasonably priced -- for starters, main courses and drinks for four, we parted with the modest sum of LE150.
The stunning sunset is for free.
Friends Restaurant, Dahab waterfront. Open all hours
