Restaurant review
Levantine delights
Injy El-Kashef fears for us
The troubled times the Middle East is witnessing augur nothing to be jubilant about. I wish I had seen Baghdad before its destruction. I hope I will see other Arab cities before they are dealt unexpected blows. The only thing I can do for now, however, considering budgetary and time restrictions, is sample the food of the country I currently fear for the most. That's why my friend and I drove through crowded and driver- unfriendly Mohandessin streets trying to locate Abu-Ammar, a Syrian outlet of a certain reputation.
The gods were definitely on our side as we embarked upon our little Levantine expedition. The first proof of that was finding a parking space right opposite Abu-Ammar, an occurrence virtually unheard of in that part of town. The second proof was that although the outlet is certainly best described as a take away joint, the tiny interior does have room for just one small table and two chairs, which were vacant upon our arrival.
In no time at all the extremely friendly and respectful staff were attending to our wishes, bearing with our inability to make a final selection from amongst the extensive and appetising menu and reacting to our wavering order with understanding smiles and accommodating chuckles.
We did eventually settle for some appetisers and main dishes, hard as it was to choose. Of course, a Syrian meal with no kobeiba would be a shame, but little did we know that the kobeiba at Abu-Ammar were so huge. Smelling and tasting wonderful, they arrived sliced in vertical halves, exposing all the minced meat and pine nuts we could have wished for. To go with that, some spinach-filled sambousek were just perfect, balancing the meaty kobeiba flavour with the lemony vegetable and soft dough. As for the tabboula, it was authentic -- the ingredients not too thinly diced, the bulghur in abundance, the lemon juice seemed to have come from an entire lemon tree, all in harmony and balance. The only appetiser that was slightly disappointing was the hummus, which was not particularly bad but just terribly bland despite the generous amount of olive oil and spices sprinkled on it.
Although the portions were quite reasonable, we were not full by the time the main courses arrived, as is often the case. The reason for that is that the food at Abu-Ammar does not sit on your stomach; it is not heavy or greasy. Another reason is that, if ordered in the right amount, appetisers' job is actually, well, to appetise, and that means leaving you hungrier than you were when you walked in.
Our main courses consisted of chicken shawerma wrapped in delicious, thin Levantine crêpe- like bread, then sliced into bite-size bits. The chicken was extremely well-seasoned and its flavour complimented by the subtle garlic paste that accompanies almost everything on a Syrian table. The food was perfect. The atmosphere, although very simple, was appropriate, reminding my friend of her own Levantine trips as, according to her, if you take away the sound of cars on the street, you get the same feeling inside a Syrian restaurant.
Yes of course, we did end this delightful meal with some rice pudding, which exploded with mastic. Delicious and nutritious, and only for LE40.
Abu-Ammar, 8 Syria St, off Game'at Al-Dewal Al-Arabiya St, Mohandessin.
Tel 3360887
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : 24 - 30 April 2003 (Issue No. 635)
Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/635/li2.htm