Restaurant review
Bean Salad
Gamal Nkrumah samples Cairo's only Persian eatery
The Shahenshah, King of Kings, is a spacious elegant room -- the one and only Iranian restaurant in all of Cairo. Imagine dining in regal style -- soft candlelight and the melodious but bittersweet strains of traditional Persian music.
Persian dishes have a distinctive, delicate touch that separates Iranian cooking from the pack of Middle Eastern cuisine. Nibble on a classy platter of delicately-marinated fish kebab, and you'll understand why. All kebabs at Shahenshah are served on a bed of saffron rice.
The Shahenshah combines the old charms of the traditional Iranian kitchen with the vibe and cool of a modern restaurant, with barely a seam showing.
A short ride from Cairo's airport, Shahenshah is a place where local socialites rub shoulders with visiting celebrities and high-powered business people. It is not uncommon to spot Gulf dignitaries and pop stars at this exquisitely furnished restaurant in the luxurious Sheraton Heliopolis hotel. No expense has been spared in fitting this handsome rendition of an Imperial Persian banqueting room.
Shahenshah prepares a host of dishes from the matchless world of traditional Persian zereshks and khoreshts to succulent kebabs, another Iranian specialty albeit a more familiar one which Iran shares with many of its Afghan, Arab, and Turkish neighbours.
An excellent starter, especially in winter, is the ash-e-jo soup -- a superb and immensely satisfying barley cream soup. I tried the boorani ye esfenaj, spinach with fried onion and yogurt. The Iranians, like the Turks and Central Asians, are fond of pouring yogurt over their food, and especially so with their unsurpassed fruity stews. But the spinach, as salad, was served cold, and refreshingly so.
I examined the long list of kebabs. Many Iranian dishes take their names from the country's outlying provinces, cities or even remote tribal groups. The kebab Bakhtiari, marinated and charcoal grilled lamb and chicken mixed kebab, is named after the Bakhtiari tribesmen of the Zagros Mountains.
Shiraz the fabled ancient city in southern Iran gave the world one of best wines. Do not search for a good shiraz on the Shahenshah wine list, though. The city, reputed to be one of Iran's prettiest, is also famous for many culinary specialties including the Persian salad, salad-e-shirazi, or rather more precisely Shirazi salad.
The khoresht, king of traditional Iranian delicacies, constitutes the main of meat, poultry or seafood dishes slowly cooked with vegetables and plenty of fruit, both fresh and dried.
Iran has long coastlines -- the lush and mountainous slopes of the northern Caspian Sea and the vast stretches of subtropical and desolate wastes of the Arabian Gulf in the south. Yet, Iranian cuisine is not particularly noted for its seafood. I, however, opted for khoresht e maygo, or prawn with sun-dried tomato, bell peppers and a generous sprinkling of fresh coriander, thoroughly soaked in a rich fruity stew. The dish was a tad too tart, but the prawns were plump and succulent. The seafood at Shahenshah is consistently delectable.
The khoresht-e-ghormeh sabzi, a casserole of baby lamb cooked with red kidney beans and fresh herbs, makes an excellent winter dish. A fine selection of delicious Persian breads, freshly baked from the huge clay oven situated at the entrance of the restaurant, accompanies most meals. I'm not quite a chicken person, but the zereskh polo, rice and blueberries and chicken poached in saffron, was especially tasty.
Dough, a refreshingly delicious drink made with yogurt, mint and ice which will soothe most hotheads, came next. It helps with indigestion after a rich meal. Iranian desserts are just as worthy. The yogurt delight with candied fruit and nuts baked in filo pastry is my favourite. Wash it all down with Iranian tea with saffron.
Shahenshah, Sheraton Heliopolis, Orouba Street, Heliopolis
Tel: 2677730/40
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : 19 - 25 December 2002 (Issue No. 617)
Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2002/617/li3.htm