Restaurant review:

Late night at the mall

Shop, shop, shop, and have coffee to help you shop more

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Being young and (relatively) well off on the banks of the Nile is an increasingly complex condition, of which mall culture is perhaps the sine qua non. Of all the ultramodern structures on offer -- most, indeed, are in Madinet Nasr -- the gargantuan City Stars, off Thawra Street at the foot of the Suez Road, is perhaps the most representative. For one thing it contains shops like Bait Al-Oud and Virgin Megastores (the latter a recent and long awaited arrival in Egypt), branches of which do not exist anywhere else in the country. It provides a remarkably rich variety of window and straight shopping as well as see-and-be-seen opportunities, besides space, high-security parking, luxurious (some would say ostentatious) style and, well, that urban modern feel so prevalent elsewhere in the world and so -- thankfully? -- rare in Cairo. All of which is not to mention cinemas, restaurants and, yes, all the hip café chains of Cairo -- some of which boast more than one branch within the mall complex itself -- located within walking, or shall we say escalator climbing distance of each other... and competing all the more vehemently for it.

My first experience of Costa Café was on one of those incredibly confessional late-night drives in Maadi. It was summer and, as always on such drives, I was sleep deprived. My companion -- chastely female, as is also always the case -- was about to launch into another narrative of personal dispossession when I spotted a large broad window parallel to the road. Abrupt bouts of profound hunger (as opposed to attacks of the munchies, per se) are part of what sleep deprivation does to you -- I stopped. "Let's get in there so I can listen carefully," I lied. "A bit tired of driving, aren't you." The place seemed too colourful to be relaxing at first. It was spacious, though, and the seating very comfortable. Warm hues combined with air conditioning and the anticipation of a sandwich to deliver a soothing impression of stasis. Conversation -- was I listening? I most certainly tried -- was punctuated by pangs of longing for the Ementhal panino -- my companion had told me, quite rightly, that panini was the specialty of Costa -- and delightful sips of green tea in a large bowl- like cup that I have yet to encounter elsewhere on the café scene. The panino was on the bland side, but toasted to perfection, with all manner of exotic condiments melted into the smooth textured, Swiss-to-the-bone cheese. And if it was somewhat anticlimactic, given my over the top expectations, chocolate fudge cake more than made up for that. It was heart-warming indeed to realise that the same pleasures could be had within the precincts of my favourite mall, and on a choice of three -- four ? -- floors as well.

The atmosphere at City Stars is recreated to the letter, the staff friendly and, despite the relative lack of space, the seating just as distinctively luxurious. Snacks include, as well as the trademark panini, a choice of "tostatos" and quiche. And judging by the delighted oohs and aahs of last night's equally chaste female companion, too, the latter at least may well be even more exciting than the house specialty. As for me, being in the comedown from a somewhat too intense shopping high -- credit cards are diabolical invention -- I rested content with that killer of apathy which at Costa, as the signs keep telling us, is "a work of art". No nonsense, either: it was. Double espresso was a delicate mix of Robusta and Arabica designed to fill the nostrils with flavour while giving you just the right amount of push. It was soon time for chocolate fudge, however. And seeing as I would supplement it with more caffeine, in the form of CocaCola, my mind wandered to another high I'd decided to go on before wending my way away, finally. "So what was it you were saying, dear -- that heartless bastard failed to show up yet again did he..."

Costa Café
City Stars
Snacks and coffee for two amount
to less than LE50

By Youssef Rakha