The Grill, Semiramis

One of my friends asked me to recommend a good continental place to eat - "The Grill" pat came the reply. It indeed is a pleasure to dine at The Grill with a caveat - you have to be a non-vegetarian!


Since she reminded me of The Grill, just thought I would write about it. The Grill is the French restaurant at The Semiramis Intercontinental. Located on the 3rd floor, you can't but help being drawn towards the loud music coming from the night club as you walk towards the restaurant.


The decor is very elegant and classy with a whole wall covered with an art deco wine rack as you walk into the eatry. We went past the main area, past the pianist, into a more private alcove overlooking the Nile. Faith, the view was lovely! The restaurant also has private glass cubicles that are segregated from the rest of the eatery with dark glass affording privacy.


We started off with a complimentary amuses-bouche, which consisted of salmon slices, piped with avacado mousse. It was wasted on my hubby, who is not fond of fish, and definately wasted on a poor vegetarian like me! My mom-in-law is the only one who loves fish, and, she swore that the combination was delicious! The maitre de very quickly realised that I was a vegetarian, and very thoughtfully got me small toasts piped with some delicious cheese. I thought that was very nice and considerate...


Then came the menus. It took me just a moment to scan through them to confirm that there was nothing for me to eat except mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables. So much so for my fine dining experience!


I swear, for a moment I felt like throttling my hubby especially since I had wanted to eat at Bird Cage, and he had insisted on The Grill! "Well, what would you expect at a grill, other than grilled vegetables for vegetarians?" Pertinent comment that, not one that I could argue with!


Then arrived my saviour and my downfall - tons and tons of carbs! The bread basket at The Grill is fantastic, with fresh, soft, flour and whole wheat breads, some stuffed with cheese, other with olives, and some just brushed with olive oil and sesame seeds, served with soft butter! They were delicious!! If you cant beat 'em, join 'em! Dunk the carbs, I was going to enjoy my bread! What had Mary Antionnette said "If they dont have bread, give em cake!" So be it!


We ordered fresh juices, and, some soft drinks, and the mango juice was deliciously fresh. Actually now that I think of it, I have yet to come across an eatery in Cairo that does not serve delicious fresh mango juice.


For starters, I ordered a tomato soup, while others ordered a goose pate, and salmon mousse. The latter is a part of a set menu which is offered by the restaurant and costs approx LE 230-250.


I must admit, the tomato soup was delicious, albiet really thick. Hubby swore that the pate was one of the best that he had eaten in a while.


For the main meal, yours truly ordered, what else but grilled vegetables (LE 15)?

The restaurant offers a fantastic choice of meats - beef, veal, rib eye, US, Angus etc. I understand that The Grill is famed for its meat - that explains hubby's insistence on coming here. The grilled meats come with a choice of sauce, mashed potatoes and grilled vegetable or an au gratin.

My son ordered grilled veal with mashed potatoes and hollandaise sauce while my husband ordered a beef stake with mashed potatoes and a pepper sauce. Mom-in-law got grilled sea bass with rice and a lemon butter sauce as part of her set menu.

Surrisingly enough, the helping of grilled vegetables was very large, very delicious, consisting of very sweet peppers, zuchini, pumpkin, carrots etc. The mashed potatoes came wth a twist - they had a guest chef on for that week and the mashed potatoes were served with truffle. They were melt-in-your-mouth delicious!

My son loved his veal, though he thought my husband's veal was far more tender. Halfway through the meal, they decided to swap their dishes but my husband pronounced both to be equally good and the quality of meat excellent. Mom-in-law agreed saying her sea bass was excellent as well.

The service is quiet, attentive and efficient. We did order desserts, and, while my hubby and mom-in-law liked theirs, I must admit I was not too enamoured of them. I am rather masry in my sweet taste preferences, and I like my sweets to be a little fuller and richer.

I think the bill came to around LE1700 without any alcohol being consumed. The price includes the ambience, the service, the Nile View and of course, delicious food. Even my grilled veegtables were grilled to perfection!

A lovely evening with great food and great atmosphere, I am sure we will be back again, though my husband still owes me another fancy meal for the grilled vegetables that I had, lol!

Cellar Door

Restaurant: Cellar Door
Address: 9, Road 151, Maadi
Tel Number: 2359-8328
Timing: 11am to 11pm
WiFi available


I am not sure why I have never written about Cellar Door though hubby and I have been there for meals ever so often. At one time "Petit Swiss Chalet", Cellar Door has made a huge leap from its erstwhile avtaar, and, I suspect for the better!


Its a chic yet cosy, small eatery located just around the corner from Bua Khao. A few steps transport you down into a trendy, relaxed place whose warmth is further enahanced by the easy manner of its new owner. He's usually to be found there, mingling with the guests, cracking a joke or two, and, generally adding to the atmosphere of the place which is a little irreverent, which makes it a fun place to go to!


They serve you the most delicious garlic bread with a vegetable spread while you browse through two, not one, menu! One is a printed, regular (er stable, lol!) menu while the other is a changing one! Quirky, ain't it? But thats what makes the place fun! Its nice going to place every 6 months and not knowing what to expect!


Today, we ordered a mushroom salad (LE 23), which was very basic but really nice The lemon vinaigrette greatly enhanced the flavour of fresh mushrooms and arugula. Even the Greek salad (LE25), with fresh tomatoes, onion, cucumbers and feta cheese, which I have had before, is quite nice.


Being a predominantly Italian place, there is enough and more choice for the poor vegetarian mortals like me. We ordered a home made gnocchi (LE27) in a tomato sauce, a home made lasagna (LE29) and spaghetti with a cream sauce (LE27).


The gocchi was soft, which is great, cos you can really mess up the gnocchi and the last thing on my mind was a battle between my teeth and the gnocchi! The lasagne tasted good though I though the pasta was a liitle underdone, but the yummy roasted vegetables made up for it! The spaghetti was a nice foil to the cheese and tangy tomato sauces we had had so far.


One of us had ordered fish in butter lemon sauce that was served with some rice. She thought the fish was very well done, more so cos a similar fish she ate at Crave the previous night had not been so good.


The other thing that I love about Cellar Door is their tableware. Plain white porcelain in large outsized plates and serving dishes , it makes the food look delicious - half the battle won! I was very tempted to ask the owner where he got the tableware from, but desisted from doing so!


We ordered a caramel cheesecake, which I must admit, was yummylicious! Though we all shared it, I thought it was perfect. In fact, I think I will send my driver to pick one up for lunch tomorrow! Now I know why I seem to fight a loosing battle as far as my waistline goes!


If I remember correctly, they allow you to carry your own wine but you need to pay corkage at LE 40. A bottle of wine at Cellar Door costs LE135, so it makes sense to carry your own and pay the corkage, if you have a specific wine in mind.


But I think, the place is definately worth a visit, and, we at least like the food quite a bit!

Fresh pizza dough

My son loves the pizza I make at home, and the biggest secret to my pizza is the base. As I have learnt, if you look for something hard enough in Cairo, you will find it!

Road 9 in Maadi, has this small innocous looking bakery called "Maadi Bakery" before McDonald, on the right side of the road. They give you fresh pizza dough at about LE 16 / kg. The dough is really delicious, and, can be frozen and used upto 4-5 days.

I use it to make pizzas, calazones etc and they always come out excellent. I would recommend the dough any day over frozen, ready made bases!

Indian recipes: Butter Chicken

Have some friends who absolutely adore the Indian dish Butter Chicken, and, have been asking me to show them how to making it, sans any chillies...

So finally, yesterday, held a small class for 4 of my friends where we decided to make Butter Chicken with Naan. Needless to say, we had a lot of fun, my kitchen looked like a war zone after we were done, and, I was the only one who was not eating, since I am a vegetarian!

Now usually I do not post recipes, but they all liked it, and, asked me to post it on my blog so that they don't have to write it down, and they can direct their friends to it as well.

This is how I make my butter chicken, I sure plenty others would have different and better recipes..but everyone at home seems to like it!

Butter Chicken / Chicken Makhanwalla
Serves: 4

For Marination
750 grams of chicken cut into pieces (boneless)
3 tablespoon yoghurt
3 tablespoon lemon juice
3 teaspoon each of coriander, cumin and red chilli powders
1 onion chopped and made into a paste
4 teaspoon each of ginger, garlic pastes
salt to taste
you could add orange food colour to get that authentic look to the chicken but that’s optional. I dont usually add colour cos my husbandis allergic to soem artificial colourings

Gravy
4 large tomatoes, roasted, peeled & chopped
6 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoon fresh cream
1 teaspoon each of coriander, cumin, red chilli powders
2 teaspoon each of finely chopped ginger and green chillies (the chillies is optional)
salt and sugar to taste
melted butter, fresh cream and finely chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

Preparation
Cut chicken into medium sized pieces (slightly larger than bite sized). Make small cuts in the chicken pieces. Mix the ingredients for the marinade and coat the chicken pieces with the marinade. Let the chicken marinate for a few hours, overnight if possible. Keep it in the fridge if you are marinating overnight.

Heat 2 tablespoons butter, in a pan and put in the chicken along with the marinade. Cover and cook for about 25 minutes or till the chicken is fully cooked. After the mixture turns dry, stir fry the chicken for some time.

Roast the tomatoes on fire, then peel the skin off and chop. Alternately, you can even puree the peeled tomatoes & then use it. Its a little more cumbersome, but thats what I do.

Heat the remaining butter (4 tablespoons) in a saucepan and add the red chilli, coriander, cumin powders. Fry for a few seconds.

Add the chopped tomatoes, sugar, salt and cook uncovered on medium level for about 8-10 minutes till the puree thickens and the fat separates. Stir in the beaten cream and reduce the heat to low. You can thin the gravy a little bit by adding milk, but not too much otherwise you will loose the taste.

Add the chicken, chopped ginger and green chillies to the simmering gravy. Sprinkle salt to taste if needed. Mix well. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes or till the curry is thoroughly heated through.

Just before serving pour melted butter over the curry. Garnish with a swirl of fresh cream and finely chopped coriander leaves.

TIP:
If you want a richer gravy, then you can add cashew nut paste (soak cashew nuts in water for an hour or so and grind them) while making the gravy - fry it along with the spice powders and then proceed as above.

Vital - the healthy food!

The name describes the product very appropriately! What would describe health food more aptly than the word "Vital"? So clearly Sage Foods got their branding bang on!

In case you are wondering what I am rambling about, there is a bunch of entrepreneurs who call themselves "Sage Foods" who have got together to set up a virtual food chain! They basically figured that the huge fixed overheads of running a physical restaurant is what impacts return on capital employed and renders it unviable. So they decided they would only do home delivery!

Essentially, Vital will offer salads, soups and juices for the health conscious. They claim that they have a wide range of salads in decent size portions, giving you a nutritious, yet satisfying lunch / dinner.

You can also make your own salad by choosing everything from the base salad to the ingredients and the dressing.

They currently deliver only in Maadi, and , their food is also served in El-Shader café, also in Maadi. They plan to open more outlets soon.

This sounds good, so tomorrow I am going to call Sage Foods and try one of their salads and soups! They can be contacted at (02) 2522 2204/5.

In case you want to know more about them, call them and read about them at http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=17487.

P.S. They already do home delivery of beef burgers under the brand name "The Burger Kitchen"!

El Fannar

While Sharm abounds with restaurants offering to tickle your palatte with different cuisines at all price points, the one place that must be visited is the El Fanar restaurant located in the Ras Umm Sid bay.


"El Fanar" actually means "lighthouse" in Arabic, and the restaurant is located on a cliff overlooking the Ras Umm Sid bay with a Lighthouse located right there. Its essentially an Italian food place, and I believe, in the earlier years, it was frequented mainly by Italians who used to throng to Sharm in large numbers. This is the reason why you will find that by far, Italian is the most popular cuisine on offer at Sharm.

As you walk in, there is a tent like structure housing tables built in the fashion of cave dwellings giving the impression that the restaurant has been carved into the rock face (maybe it was?).. Its quite rustic and attractive, but the evening breeze tempted us to sit out in the open, next to the edge of the cliff.

If you look down, there is another ledge with thatched bamboo sunshades and chairs laid out. I believe for a fee of LE 20-30, you can use these sunshades. A level below, is a pier jutting out into the sea, which is the most fascinating part of this restaurant. You can clearly see the coral beneath the pier as you walk towards the end of the peir, and, then suddenly, it just drops away to a deep deep blue ocean..the effect is breathtaking, even at night! Other than the food, I think the place is a must visit just to see this!

There is a round bar in the open, built in an open air beach style. The menu is fairly large, offering decent choice for vegetarians as well (and this time I was not alone!).The prices were also reasonable but the service was a mixed bag! We ordered the food for the kids first, and, that came super quick. My son ordered a gnnochi which was soft, melt in your mouth. Pizzas were a decent size and were delicious, our appetites having been whetted by the salty sea breeze.

However, our food was a different story, with it taking time, and they forgot our order of bruschettas and diet cokes! But the pastas were good, my mom-in-law liked her fish, the sea food platter was good and so was the grilled chicken. My husband said his pepper stake was ok. Despite the confusion on the orders, the general service is with a smile, and the atmosphere is so relaxed that you really do not mind waiting a wee bit!

To me, the highlight of the restaurant was not only the food, but also the view of Ras Umm Sid that it offers. As we paid our bills, I resolved to return during the day to get a good look at the reef and the marine life that is visible to the naked eye, and, of course , the fascinating sheer drop of the ocean! So if you are in Sharm, do go and have a meal at El Fanar, you will not regret it!

Carrefour bread

I am not sure, and, maybe its just me, but I find that the bread from Carerefour is really yeasty, if there is such a word!

Yesterday I picked up a large wholewheat loaf, and some chocolate donoughts, and I am completely unable to eat the bread. Everytime, I come close to eating it, a strong yeasty smell engulfs and overpowers my oalfactory senses, rendering it nigh impossible to have the bread. My 7 year old, who usually loves donoughts refused to eat them cos they smelt "strange"!

Or maybe, I am just fussy. I dont even like Rich Bake that is available in supermarkets. The bread is way too soft, in fact sometimes I suspect that its not fully baked. I prefer the sandwich or the multi-grain pre-packed Monginis bread which is quite decent. Otherwise, shall continue to pick up my bread from Bread Basket on Road 9 or Fino on Road 213 esp the multi-grain ones!

An early morning post on food? Well struggled with the Carrefour loaf while preparing son's lunch box at 6.30 in the morning, hence the irritation!

Gourmet Egypt

For those who feel that their local butcher or supermarket does not provide good enough quality of meat/ fish etc Cairo has just the answer for you!

Gourmet Egypt, a recently started chain offers the best quality Aussie meat. Well, chain may be an exxageration as they have only one retail outlet currently on the autostrad near Maadi City Centre, but they do home delivery.

The shop sells all kinds of the freshly prepared meat, as well as frozen fish filets from Turkey, frozen Green Mussels from New Zealand, frozen salmon from Scotland, assorted cheeses from France, as well as an interesting looking black pasta known as “squid-ink spaghetti.”

Meats can be purchased by a specifically desired cut or weight. The pricing is at a premium, intended to reflect teh quality of meat being sold. We tried the beef and veal and were hooked. Theer is little fat (thankfully) and according to my husband the meat is tender. He refuses to buy beef / veal from anywhere else!

Other items include freshly-made pasta flown in weekly from Italy, gourmet olives, sauces, frozen meat pies, fantastic frozen vegetables which make for great stir-fries, etc..and as per the guy at the counter, they are constantly introducing new items!

One can also place an order for home delivery on their website. Never tried it, so do not know how effective it is. But I guess it should be quite efficient cos Gourmet Eypt started out as a call centre based home delivery service!!

Its worth checking their website out...

http://www.gourmetegypt.com

Home Delivery Service: 19339

Retail store: 3 Badr Bldgs., Katameya Ring Road, Maadi, Cairo.

Best places to eat at in Ramadan

Now this is not my list but a list that I happened to come across while reading the Daily Star...

Daily News Egypt came up with a list of some of the best places in Cairo to go for iftar (the fast-breaking meal) or sohour (the meal before dawn).

• Restaurants like Bent El-Sultan in Mohandiseen are always in high demand during the season, with a menu featuring grilled items, fatta and a variety of vegetable tagens. The restaurant also offers a typical sohour menu.

• With an outdoor setting overlooking the Citadel and surrounded by the greenery found only in Azhar Park, Studio Misr prepares an open buffet of delicious traditional Egyptian food for both iftar and sohour.
  
• For younger crowds, Sequoia in Zamalek is a great place to break your fast, lounge with tea and shisha after, or enjoy an appetizing sohour. With its modern décor, Nile-side location and varied menu of oriental, Lebanese and Mediterranean cuisines, this popular hangout is always bustling so you’d better reserve in advance. Sequoia offers an open buffet for iftar and a special menu for sohour.

• Turkish cuisine is a good choice if you want to try something new without compromising the satisfying and rich quality of Egyptian food. During Ramadan, Ataturk in Mohandiseen offers a menu of Turkish and Egyptian items for a hearty iftar.

• For a classy iftar, Le Passage hotel in Heliopolis hosts a Ramadan tent in the hotel’s garden where customers can help themselves to the open buffet while enjoying the tunes of an oriental takht.

• The InterContinental CityStars has three different iftar outlets. Esplanade, an indoor restaurant which offers oriental food in an open buffet and has a television set so you don’t miss your favorite Ramadan serial.

• Lebanese restaurant Al Fayrouz offers a different menu every day during Ramadan while Al Bustan, an outdoor restaurant overlooking the pool, serves international cuisine in an open buffet. The atmosphere at Al Bustan is always festive with an oriental takht playing during weekdays and bands like Resala, Sahara and Flamenco featuring on weekends.

• By mid-month, the frequent outings take their toll on one’s wallet, and that is when you head to restaurants like El-Tekkia, which has branches in Heliopolis and Mohandiseen. During Ramadan, El-Tekkia’s keeps its regular menu, which features oriental dishes at reasonable prices.

• When you get tired of the daily dose of oriental food and start craving some good-old American cuisine, head to Chili’s where the open buffet iftar boasts oriental food as well as Mexican-American specialties.

• The Imperial boat in Zamalek kicks off every Ramadan with a tent on its upper deck, offering guests iftar and sohour in a serene ambiance overlooking the Nile. The classic setting makes it suitable for company iftars or sohours.

• Sidi Mansour in Mohandiseen is a vibrant venue for sohour, with a young crowd, a DJ and a television set.

• If you happen to be celebrating a pay raise or are trying to impress your in-laws, Nile Maxim in Zamalek is the place to go. The iftar cruise sails for two and a half hours starting 5 pm and is accompanied by oriental takht. Nile Maxim also offers an entertaining sohour that starts at 8:30 pm. The cruise lasts for two hours accompanied by a band, a belly dancer and a tanoura show.

• While tent-hopping, do not miss Grand Hyatt’s classy open-air sohour by the pool at its outdoor Si Omar Café, where guests can enjoy a view of the pool and the Nile.

• For more romantic meals, couples can go to Grand Hyatt’s Marquise boat, which cruises the Nile from 6 pm to 8 pm while passengers indulge in an international buffet.

• Girls, leave the men behind and go out for a night on the town with your friends at Spangles café in Nasr City, which has a women’s-only tent during Ramadan. Enjoy sohour to the tune of oriental music and then do some light shopping at the booths around the tent. You can even sell your own creations at the café simply by arranging it with the organizers

Pasteis de Nata

Pasteis de Nata – Portuguese Egg Custard tart. Delicious!! We devoured tens of these small, to die for tarts!

The tart has an interesting history! Yup, most iconic / famous foods do!

The original recipe for Pasteis de Nata was invented by two Catholic sisters in the convent at the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos & called Pasteis de Belem, and has been heavily guarded since.

Around 1837, clerics from the monetary, set up Casa Pastéis de Belém, the first shop to sell the pasteis, in order to raise money for the monastery. Today, these are generally known as Pasteis de Nata, and only the original Pasteis de Belem carry the name. The original shop also remains standing today and the Pasteis de Belem are still said to be the best.

It is said that the recipe for the egg custard for Pasteis de Belem is a heavily guarded secret known only to the Master Pastercook. The custard is prepared in a secret room by the Master Pastercook and then given to the other works to fill in the pastry shells!

Jared's Bagels

In line with the great Indian obsession, I must not forget to mention the yummy bagels I picked up at Jared's on Road 9.

A small outlet, which you could probably miss if you did not watch out for it, the small shop offers a large variety of bagels at reasonable rates. I believe this is the only outlet that they have in Cairo. Why am I not surprised? Where else would you find an American favourite but in a predominantly American suburb of Cairo?

The bagels come in 5 variants - plain, salted, sesame, onion and wholewheat. There are gourmet ones which are multigrain and sundried tomatoes. For topings you can choose from honey butter, plain cream cheese, apricot cream cheese etc.. The prices start from LE 8.50 to around 10.50 for a single bagel. Pretty decent, huh?

My favourite is the sun-dried tomato bagel with plain cream cheese. Yummm!

You can also order online a http://www.jaredbagels.com/ or call and order for home delivery on 23596255. The shop itself is opne from 6.30 a.m to 10.00 p.m.

The Great Indian Obsession

In line with the great Indian obsession wth our own food, I am happy to note that stuff provided by Hassan is very good.

Mom-in-law ordered some mutton from him, and, she was delighted with it - melt-in-your-mouth was the verdict! He even brought mustard oil which is enough to gladden any Bengali heart. Lentils, mango chutney, masalas I can see we are (hopefully) not going to pay excess baggage for food anymore!!!

And for my brethren from up North, his atta is definately better than any that I have tried from different people in Cairo.

La Bodega

Restaurant: LA BODEGA
Address: 157, 26th of July St.
Telephone: 2735 05 43 / 2736 21 88
Hours: 12.00 p.m. to 1.00 a.m.

La is the Spanish word for "the" while Bodega means a store specializing in Hispanic groceries and also a storehouse for wine. Consequently, when I first heard about La Bodega, it conjured up images of mature fruity wines and scrumptious paellas, tapas, migas, gazpachos, chorizos and of course the ubiquitous rice pudding! Unfortunately, as luck would have it, no amount of planning bore fruition and La Bodega remained on my list of "must do" places.

So today when some friends decided to organise a lunch at La Bodega, the temptation of the company and the place were too much to resist. So the afternoon found me battling the Cairo traffic to make it to this Mecca of fine dining despite this Cinderella's deadline being 2.30 p.m. I was determined to make it!

Located in the heart of Zamalek, the restaurant occupies the first floor of the historical Baehler Mansion built on land which was once a part of the Khedive's palace gardens. The mansion also houses a Maison Thomas, Drinkies etc. As I stood looking at this grand old mansion, for a moment I wondered what Baehler would have thought of what's become of his grandiose construction?

But not to detract from my gastronomic adventure, remember to look for the words "Baehler Mansion" cos there is nothing at eye level to indicate the location of La Bodega. Perhaps, befitting the quiet elegance and its pre-imminent place in the culinary world of Cairo, you have to look heavenward to see "La Bodega". As you walk into the building, and climb up the stairs, be warned, there is nothing at the entrance or the stairs that points to the existence of the restaurant. Curiouser and curiouser!

As you walk past the old fashioned elevator cage, a large stone relief by the Egyptian artist Moataz Nasr welcomes you. On your right is the La Bodega "Lounge" while the La Bodega "Bistro & Bar" beckons you on the left. As I walked into the Bistro, I was struck by the ambience of the place - very reminiscent of the belle epoque period of Cairo's history, very Parisian. Long windows with dark polished wooden frames, cosy seating, paintings depicting people making merry and enjoying their food, there is a quiet, understated elegance to La Bodega! I made a mental note to ask the restaurant the name of the artists - the rawness of the paintings somehow appealed to me! If I closed my eyes I could actually picture Cairo of the Twenties, this room filled with women in beautiful gowns and men in their formal attire smoking their pipes and sampling the best in gourmet cuisine. A hello from my friends shook me out of my reverie..

A quick look at the menu disabused me of any notions of Spanish cuisine. The menu is essentially Italian with some delicious salads and main entrees.

My Goat Cheese salad was delicious with just the right hint of pepper and tart in the salad, bread grilled to perfection and perfect goat cheese. A mushroom and spinach salad, and, a grilled vegetable salad were equally appetising.

The mushroom risotto was delicious, though I would actually recommend sharing it with someone cos after sometime the cream and cheese gets too much, though this is of course completely a personal opinion - I can never finish a full plate of anything which has cream sauce. The mushroom ravioli was "mmmm", close to the risotto in flavour but much stronger (bound to be since they were both mushroom and cream sauce based) but DELICIOUS.

Since I am a vegetarian, have no idea what my friend's chicken dish was like but she liked it. Since I arrived late, have no idea what it was, but it appeared to be grilled chicken topped with pesto with zucchini on a bed of mushrooms (which appeared to be missing!)

The service is quiet, efficient and quick and the prices extremely reasonable. I think the most expensive dish was around LE 50-60 from what I can remember as I quickly skimmed down the menu hunting for vegetarian food. And for a change, there is enough and more choice for vegetarians!!

One of my friends commented that it was not only that the food at La Bodega was good, but what was important is that the food is consistently good! I can’t think of a bigger compliment to the chef and the kitchen especially in Cairo.

The clock struck two, and it was time for Cinderella to run before her carriage turned to dust, so I rushed out promising myself that I would be back sometime soon, and, this time, I would savour the food and the place over a long, relaxed meal!!

Reference: Egypt’s belle époque was a period of incredible extravagance during which the Khedive Ismail’s Cairo became the mirror image, both architecturally and socially, of decadent Paris. The glamour and hedonism of the era reached its peak during the magnificent celebrations for the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. Kings and emperors, artists, writers and Europe’s most sophisticated flocked to the dazzling new Cairo of sumptuous palaces and Parisian gardens, where Verdi’s Aida premiered at the new opera house and glittering parties were held on the banks of the Nile. But the splendour was short-lived. Only a year after the Suez Canal opened, the Second Empire in France collapsed and the Khedive’s excesses plunged Egypt into crippling debt. Ismail was eventually forced to abdicate, leaving Cairo to the British who occupied Egypt in all but name

Indian grocer in Cairo!

For all the Indians whose only baggage from back home used to be packets and packets of spices, dals, ready to eat mixes etc, your luggage just got a little lighter!

An enterprising Egyptian obviously figured that the "Indians were coming!" has decided to open a store with Indian groceries. So you get your dals, some spices etc. He has this long list of items which I shall try and reproduce a little later.

His name is Hassan and his outlet is on Road 9.

EDIT: Let me correct the location. He is based in Mohandassein and will home deliver in certain areas. I know he delivers in Maadi. Have asked for his permission to quote his number on my blog. So all of you who want to stock up on whatever is available with him, his number is 0111883800. Have ordered for the first time from him today - toovar dal, local egyptian musard oil and some atta (nisha, hope that gladdens your heart!). Inshaallah, it shall be good!!

Crave - the new hip eatery in Maadi

Restaurant: CRAVE
Address: 30 Road 213, Degla, New Maadi
Tel No: +2 (02) 2519-8443
Timing: 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.


Crave is the latest eatery to open in Maadi, Jan I think is when it opened its doors to the public. I believe they've had an outlet in Zamalek for a long time, and, only now, have ventured into Maadi.


Pasta & pizzas from Italy, burgers from the US, Jalapeno-stuffed mushrooms from Mexico, the menu on offer at the new eatery "Crave" in Maadi is a lesson in culinary geography. And just to ensure that you do get it right, each item on the menu has a stick figure giving a clue to the dish's region.


The first thing that strikes you when you walk in, is the incredible buzz to the place. At lunch time, it’s crowded, and, you can feel the vibrancy. The restaurant is full of light and is airy, the seating is modern and muted, and the walls have black panels running across the eatery with figures of different ethnicities caricatured in white.. It’s almost like the wall panels reflect the variety of cuisine that is on offer. The most interesting feature of the decor are the chandeliers - they have tableware hanging upside down giving a really cool and hip feel to the place. The restaurant has a smoking and non-smoking area and is reasonably large.


We ordered our drinks, and, my favourite lemon did not disappoint. The restaurant does not offer any alcoholic beverages like beer, whiskey etc nor wine. Neither are you permitted to carry your own and pay corkage. So its strictly juice and soft drinks.

We decided to order the Mushrooms Four Seasons. Actually, as a vegetarian, I really did not have too much choice for the starter, unless I wanted a Caesar’s salad, which I was sure I did not! At LE 33.95, the portions were decent enough for a starter for three without it filling you up completely. The mushrooms sautéed in butter were nice as were the deep fried ones.


For vegetarians, its Italian to the rescue again. There is a decent choice of pizzas and pastas. I settled for a Spinach and ricotta ravioli while one of my friends ordered a roccola and cheese pizza. The last order was Stake Diane. The waiters are extremely friendly and attentive, and willing to walk you through the menu if you so desired. Also the service is quick, and, we found the food at our table pretty fast.


I must warn you that the portions are really large at Crave. The pizza is actually good for two people if you've had a drink and a decent appetizer. My friend actually had to get her pizza packed cos she could not finish it.


My ravioli was ok. It was a little hard, and the tomato sauce a bit too tomatoey, but the filling inside was delicious. My friend said that her pizza was very good. The Stake Diane was not bad either.


We also ordered the Chocolate Fondant, which is described as a chocolate volcano, and I must admit it lived up to its name. The vanilla ice-cream is just what is needed to balance the intense gooey chocolate, and, it is a really satisfying end to the meal.


We enjoyed the meal thoroughly, and, I think more than the meal, we enjoyed the feel and the atmosphere of the place! For lack of any other words, it pulsates with life unlike many of the other eateries in Maadi which tend to be very quiet. Definitely, worth another meal, and this time, an evening out!

Edit 1: Went for dinner to Crave again. The food did not dissapoint. The crab covered with fried kunafa (LE 32) was delicious (and served very artistically), so was the risotto with spinach and mushrooms. The farfalle primvera was ok, while the vegetarian pizza was very good.

Ordered the Chocolate Fondant (volcano) again. The gooey chocolate oozing out of the cake and you dig into it, is sheeeeeer decadence...Its to die for!

Edit 2: Had some freinds visting from India. Took them to Crave for lunch. The food as usual was great except for a crab ravioli (LE 38) which smelt terrible. It appears that they do not use fresh crab, or they told us. The Chilli Shrimp (LE 62) and the Stir Fried Chicken (LE 38) was deliciously spicy, close to what the Indian palate is used to. The Fried Fish fillet with lemon suace (LE 42) was just right. of course, we had to finally end the meal with the Chocolate Fondant which, as usual, was to die for!! If there was a chocolate heaven on earth, it is here, it is here!!

El Matbakh’ brings the kitchen to your doorstep or desk

Guess, what I found while surfing the Net? Its definitely sounds worth a try.... will try and find the telephone number, though it would appear that Maadi residents will have to wait a little longer to be able to use this service!

El Matbakh’ brings the kitchen to your doorstep or desk
By Anna Woolfolk
First Published: March 14, 2008

Personal chef delivery services, home-meal replacement companies, and prepared-meals from the grocery store for home consumption — do you ever feel like you need a degree in economics or engineering to feed yourself properly these days?

How many cups of orange vegetables do I need today? And teaspoons of oil? I’m too confused to eat anything! I’ll just get another McDonald’s combo.

It may seem silly, but isn’t this basically how it goes? We know it’s wrong, but stressed by work and enveloped by hunger we give in and pick the same old delivery we’re familiar with, even the same combo number. If we splurge on a restaurant, how often does your order arrive wrong, cold, and/or incomplete? Still we eat what we’ve bought.

In addition to the feeling of subsequent satisfaction, we feel guilty for neglecting our health further by spending the day plopped behind a desk.

Thus — in the midst of fad diets, carbs this and saturated fats that — meals freshly prepared using real ingredients are the best bet for staying healthy (as if you didn’t already know this as well).

Of course “freshly prepared” doesn’t mean freshly defrosted or unpacked items from a corporate truck; even if the invisible coat of chemicals gives the illusion that the item is quality, it isn’t. A healthy meal consists of fresh, local produce that has been cleaned, cut, seasoned and cooked in a real kitchen not far from where you will be eating it. For the business crowd, this is a critical obstacle in trying to achieve a healthy lifestyle.

After the office all day and then subsequent Cairo traffic, who has time to spend in the kitchen, or ‘El Matbakh’ in Arabic, to make real food? Underused in today’s world of workingwomen, take-out, delivery, microwave ovens, and chemistry labs, the kitchen needs a revival.

Here comes the plug.

A team has been capitalizing on the missing link in Cairo’s food delivery culture, under the name of El Matbakh. The company prepares two homemade meal options each day for clients and delivers the orders complete with bread, a salad and dessert. You get a square meal in a nifty square box for about LE 48.

It’s slightly pricier than your average fast food restaurant, but it’s food of a much higher quality, cooked in a proper kitchen. There’s really no comparison, and not too many better options. Because of the focus on delivery alone and the decision to have only two entrées offered each day, El Matbakh is able to do something unique.

“There is nothing that we outsource,” says co-owner Heba Jammal. “We prefer doing so in order to keep a tight control on quality.”

Tarek Khaddaj, Heba’s husband and partner, has 15 years of experience in the food and beverage industry. He is also the one with the culinary skills in the marriage, making the enterprise all that more contemporary. Heba takes care of all the managerial and marketing responsibilities while the men, Tarek and Chef Simon Nehmi plan and execute an ever-varying menu. And they do it well.

On the day we decided to partake in the El Matbakh experience, we ordered fish curry that came in fashionable packaging with everything one would need to immediately start dining. What was more than the obvious thought that went into the packaging was, of course, the taste. It was like mom had sent me to work with an impressive packed lunch.
A couple of boneless sea bass filets piled over a bed of basmati rice seasoned with curry, raisins and apples was happily devoured. The salad was just as flavorful too — tomato and cucumbers in a lemon and mint dressing. Even the crème caramel dessert was enjoyed by a friend who doesn’t prefer custard-like sweet courses.

Living the average Cairo delivery lifestyle, we were obviously real-food-deprived.
El Matbakh is located in Agouza and ensures a half hour delivery time to Zamalek, Giza, Downtown, Cornish el Nile, Garden City, Mohandiseen, Dokki and El Manial, six days a week between 9 am and 7 pm. They accommodate all sorts of catering situations and in the wake of all their new success are ready to expand their operations with more kitchens.

Apparently we are not the only ones who have discovered El Matbakh

Pizza Cream - A Kid's treat

In the last few months, have often come across this fast food chain called Pizza Cream which offers pizza in the form of an ice cream cone. The shape intrigued me, but never got around to trying it...

Had taken my son to Toys R Us at Arcadia Mall, and decided to grab a bite. While my son feasted on the Big Mac, I chanced upon a Pizza Cream counter, and decided I would try it today.

Ordered a Margherita Cone which has mozzarella, tomato and oregano. It comes in two sizes, ordered Picolo (the smaller one).

It is like holding a really hot ice cream, and while the experience is enjoyable for its novelty, the taste was average and the eating really messy. But my son really loved it, and forgot all about his Big Mac. He wanted the Pizza Ice cream!! At approx LE 9 for the Picolo, it’s quite reasonable.

Pizza Cream is available at City Stars, Maadi City Centre, Dandy Mall, Wadi Degla Club, Genena Mall, Rehab City and Dream Park.

So next time you take your kids out, try it for the novelty…

L" Asiatique

Restaurant: L'Asiatique

Address: Le Pacha 1901, Saray El Gezirah StreetZamalek, Cairo, Egypt

Opening hours: 7:00 PM to 2:00 AM, Open for lunch on Fridaysfrom 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Tel: +202 2735 6730

After watching the Lord of the Dance, we decided to go to L'Asiatique on the Le Pacha boat at Zamalek for a meal. While I have been to Le Steak, Johhny Carrino and Maharani, I've never been to L'Asiatique, and, it seems like a quick and close option for a bunch of really hungry people.

And I must say the place did not dissapoint. The decor is classy and upmarket - no cheesy red lanterns that seem to dot most chinese eateries. Elegantly done interiors, parque floors polished to a shine. They have two very interesting seating arrangements in a pit in the middle of the restaurant (see photo above) which creates an impression of space in the otherwise crowded eatery.

It was the 2nd day of the week, and, I was surprised to see the place was full and buzzing!! There were families and the gliterrati of Cairo rubbing shoulders. I thought I recognised a couple of people from the Flatley show. Guess they had the same idea as us, and, believe me, it was a good idea to come to L' Asiatique. The ambience, the buzz to the place, the company and the food were all great. I understand that the L'Asiatique was voted the third best restaurant in Africa, and the best in Egypt, by the World's 50 Best Restaurants, organized by Restauant Magazine of London, England.

We ordered some spring rolls (chicken and vegetarian LE24.50) and chicken dumplings (LE 27.50) for starters. Vegetarian Spring Rolls are available so I did not have to watch hungrily while others ate. They came pretty quick, served with dipping sauces and were very good.

For a demanding tabel of 10, the service was very prompt and courteous. Of course, it helped that one of our company was a very good friend of the owner, so we got exceptional treatment. But I was looking around, and, in general, the service seemed very efficient.

The soups were very good especially the Chicken Sweet Corn. For the vegetarians, we ordered a Vegetarian Stir Fry served on a hot platter and a vegetarian fried rice (LE 10). On request, they also made a vegetarian version of the Chicken in Red Thai curry with steamed rice. A mixed plate of sushi (LE 97.50), some stir fried beef (LE 49.90), chicken fried rice, Sweet & Sour shrimps (LE 59.90) were also ordered.

The vegetarian fare was very good. The Red Thai curry was just right and tasted delicious with the steamed rice. Even the vegetarian stir fry in a soya based sauce was yummy. The chicken fried rice was essentially the vegetarian version topped with peices of boiled chicken. According to my husband, the beef was good quality and very well done. The food was uniformly good.

The desserts were to die for. A date pie with ice cream, a chocolate tart with vanilla ice cream and gooey chocolat sauce and a macaroon with caramel sauce.. it was all extremely delicious, and got polished in a trice. This is despite everyone protesting that they did not want desserts to begin with!!

Its definitely worth going back again and again, not only for the food but also for the atmosphere. And while we are talking about the atmosphere, a small snippet on the history / legend of Le Pacha!!
The Legend of Le Pacha 1901

Once upon a time, a distinguished and aging Pacha from Upper Egypt had a dream. He longed to build himself a floating palace on the Nile to live out his last days. The Pacha collected treasures and masterpieces to adorn his palace and by 1887, he had prepared his designs and began to build his dream. In 1901, the Pacha passed away without having fulfilled his dream, and left his estate to two daughters. The daughters chose to live in their Cairo mansion and abandoned the unfinished boat in Upper Egypt.

Nearly a full century later, a traveler exploring the banks of the Nile, came upon the abandoned and partially sunken boat. This person fell in love with the majesty and luxury he could still envision through the mud and dust. And so he went to work looking for the owners of the wreck and the original designs. He acquired it, refurbished it, added two more decks and named the, reborn, boat: "Le Pacha 1901". The old Pacha's bedroom was at the prow, where "Le Tarbouche" is found today...

The Cairo Cellar

Name: The Cairo Cellar
Address: Hotel President, 22, Dr. Taha Hussein St.,
Phone Number: 27350652/27350718
Opening Time: 12:00AM

Friends of ours suggested going out Wednesday night to a place called "The Cairo Cellar" in Hotel President in Zamalek. We'd never been there before so directions and getting there was a bit of a task.

Located on the island Zamalek, in between the 2 branches of the river crossing Cairo, Hotel President is within walking distance of the Gezira Sporting Club and other main areas of Zamalek. From the outside, I must admit, the hotel looked very modest.

We walked down the steps to a small cozy, warm, English style pub. At 8 o'clock, it was not very crowded (at that hour which place in Cairo is?), and, they were playing music that was from our generation.

The cafe / pub has a small menu with a range of mezze, foul and some western style starters. We ordered some sausages, cheese balls and oriental mezze which were nice. The lemon drink was delicious. I was surprised to know that you could get your own alcohol and pay the corkage which makes sense if you are planning on finishing a bottle. Wine, unfortunatey is not available by the glass, you've got to down the bottle..

The menu is small and concise. For vegetarians, the choice of food (as always) is limited but some mezze, salads and a pasta arabiatta are enough to see you through the evening. One of us ordered a grilled fish which she said was well done and not leathery for a change. Chicken panee and chicken liver were also good. The tabouleh was very good, as was the Greek salad with feta cheese. The pasta arabiatta was also nice, though we chose to spice it up with chilly sauce. At our request, they gave us some deadly chilly concoction which was really potent but added a zing to the food.

By 11 o'clock, the place had started to fill up, the music became more hip hop and rythmic and the place was buzzing! The atmosphere is really very English pub, and, very alive. The place is frequented by locals and foreigners alike. Definately worth a visit, preferably a little late at night, if you like all that action, but even earlier its worth a visit for the atmosphere, and, decent food.

In terms of damage to the pocket, the place is quite reasonable. For starters and the main meal, for the 6 of us, the bill came to around LE 600 which I thought was very reasonable.

Groppi since 1892

Everytime I drive around Downtown, I notice the tearoom "J Groppi, since 1892". The impression it gave me from outside is that of the old British tea rooms, and, many a times, I have thought of stopping the car, and grabbing a cup of tea and to see what the place is like.

I remember reading that " it was established by a gentleman called Giacomo Groppi (1863-1947) a native of Lugano, Switzerland. In time Maison Groppi became chief purveyor of chocolate to monarchs and pashas throughout the MidEast. Whenever pashas, beys and resident-foreigners traveled to Europe they took with them cartons filled with Groppi chocolates.

During WW-II King Farouk air freighted via Khartoum, Entebbe, Dakar, Lisbon, Dublin a lacquered box emblazoned with the royal arms of Egypt and Great Britain. Inside, to the delight of the then-princesses Elizabeth and Margaret of England, were 100 kilos of Groppi chocolates. "

History like this, definately warranted a visit. Today, while I was waiting at the Indian Embassy, decided to spend my time fruitfully (pun intended) occupied! So off I trotted, to discover the gastranomic wonders of Groppi, dreaming of all those chocolates..

My first impression, definately Parisian. High ceilings, polished gleaming surfaces, chandeliers, very very old fashioned. Red and gold check waistcoated waiters, many of similar vintage as the coffee shop, walked around the tables slowly and taking orders.

Had a quick look at the menu. I was shocked by the prices. After the Cilantros, Costa Coffees and Beanos of the world, this place was a steal! Amazingly reasonable and quirky. Prices were in decimal piasters e.g a Roast Beef sandwich was LE 9.52 while a burger with cheese was LE 7.62.
I decided on a cheese toast which was for a princely sum of LE 5.71.

ana ayza haikul cheese toast (I want to eat cheese toast) wa ana ayaza ashrab shay bi laban bi sucar (and I want to drink tea with milk and sugar). The waiter smiled at my attempt at speaking arabic and nodded his head "aiwa" (I swear his eyes twinkled with mirth at my attempt at arabic). Now for the acid test for my arabic. Would I get what I ordered or what the waiter thought I had ordered?

As I looked around, it reminded me intensely of the Old Flurys of Kolkata. Same high ceilings, an old world charm, quaint tables and chairs widely spaced and a sense of time having stood still. Then it struck me that both Flury's and Groppi were started by Swiss men, maybe that explained the sense of deja vu I felt at Groppi.

Service was slow, but it gave me time to look around. As you enter, there is a huge round hall which has counters displaying an amazing selection of choclates (from LE 60 per kilo to LE 160 per kilo) and pastries etc. Ordered one chocolate pastry for my son and a coconut one for myself. The pastries were good, though not spectacular, but nice old fashioned pastries.

When the food came, was not dissapointed. I had a sandwich made from the most delicious bread I have had in a long time - fresh, soft, thick (and I mean thick) slices lightly toasted, buttered and with cheese. Yum! Though next time, I'll give the cheese a miss, and, just have the bread toasted and buttered. Ah, Flurys, I miss you! The tea was regular and the bill was amazing, a princely sum of LE 15.92 along with the 12% service charge and 10% sales tax.

Clearly the place had seen better times, but it still was a place haunted by regulars, a place where the internet was not all pervasive, where people still had time to come and have an old fashioned cup of tea with complete tea service, coupled with lots of conversation and nostalgia. Definately, a must visit, maybe not so much for the food but just for the atmosphere, and for me, a slice of home (Flurys!)

P.S. Came back home and looked up Groppi and got this article. I knew there was a reason why it appealed to me! http://www.egy.com/landmarks/96-06-15.shtml