Restaurant review:
A sobering experience
Colette Kinsella tracks down the accidental Oriental offerings in high-rise Nasr City
If you're the adventurous type, then Yachny Oriental House in Nasr City is the place for you, first and foremost because the establishment was surprisingly difficult to find on that particular evening, considering its location on one of the larger streets in that part of Cairo. But let's face it, all streets in Nasr City look the same at 10pm on a Thursday evening when a horde of hungry people are in hot pursuit of a good meal. Armed with a reliable map and a patient taxi driver, we finally found the correct street, but were unable to locate no 17. We were dropped off opposite no 16, assuming no 17 would be directly across the road -- in some parallel universe, maybe, but not here. After what seemed a mile of cross-country hiking up to the top of a very long street, we finally found it. And the first word that sprang to mind was "incongruous". Located in one of the many grey, ugly, Lego-type buildings of which this part of the city has so many, Yachny seems to belong in the trendier and much more hip Zamalek. From the outside, the décor looked thoroughly modern, with a slick entrance sporting a funky neo-ethnic -- for want of a better phrase -- logo. Inviting, we thought, as we stepped eagerly inside.
The interior is altogether unusual for an Oriental restaurant: low-key lighting and post-modern straight lines is the order of the day, with muted colours and low seating. Actually, the dominant colours were brown and beige: brown rectangular tables; square brown seats/couches adorned with square beige cushions; brown hand-blown glassware on the table; brown side dishes; and to finish it all off, what looked like woven bandages on the ceiling. Anything but Oriental, to say the least. The only reminder of our geographical and cultural location was some hand-wrought mirrors on the walls in the shape of mosques and the odd copper plate or two.
An air of slight bewilderment settled on our group as we took our seats and posed the most important post-odyssey question: "Do you serve alcohol?" we asked hopefully, not having seen any on the drinks menu. "No," came the unfortunate reply, followed by "I'm sorry" from the waiter as he watched our jaws hit the square, muted-brown table top in disappointment. But we soldiered on and perused the menu.
Definitely Oriental: vine leaves, pigeon, lentil soup, okra and many other traditional Middle Eastern dishes. But unfortunately, nothing in the way of vegetarian main courses. As is always the case in such emergencies, the vegetarians ordered a host of mezza dishes: spicy cheese, aubergine bake, lentil soup, spicy potatoes and of course hummus and tahina with a side order of baladi bread (wholegrain pita). The table that night was a definite Vampire-free zone, as all of the mezza dishes were laced generously with garlic and many other wonderfully delicate spices. All were excellent, full of flavour and served in generous portions on, of course, brown earthenware dishes. We were also served two unidentifiable dishes -- one green, the other whitish -- which turned out to be kishk and bessara. I still have no idea of their ingredients, but the general consensus was that both were delicious: served cold smothered in a generous helping of fried onions.
The meat mains consisted of kofta and lamb served with rice. My friend was happy with her kofta, but those who ordered the lamb seemed to have been given a raw deal: a trifle stringy, anything but tender, and mutton dressed as lamb, it seemed -- the first documented incidence of cross-dressing in the animal kingdom, perchance?
All was washed down with Siwa's finest bottled spring water served in -- you guessed it -- brown lopsided hand-blown glasses. "Lopsided," commented my friend, "to make you think you've had lots to drink."
And the final verdict: bizarre. Good food, but the atmosphere leaves a lot to be desired. The whole place seems somewhat self- conscious, as if practicing to be a trendy, hip restaurant in a more affluent part of town.
The entire affair was reasonably priced, however; a host of side orders, bread, rice and three meat-based main courses, followed by a pot of tea, came to LE182. No aspirin required.
Yachny Oriental House, 17 Abul-Zahery Street,
Nasr City. Tel: 271 2484
