Across the Steppes..

The other day, I went to Ma'adi, that leafy suburb of Cairo where most of the streets are identified by number. You might expect that that would simplify things - after all, street 1 would be next to street 2, surely? Not so. It has been a source of some irritation that the streets appear to be randomly numbered, with street 2 just as likely to be next to street 1 as it is to street 31. 

Fortunately, I recently invested in a new smartphone, and about the only app that I have used so far is the GPS. And so, it was to my amazement that I was able to direct my taxi driver to street 233 with nary a wrong turn. 

At the end of this navigational triumph was a tiny little restaurant called Genghis Khan, which claims to serve up Mongolian and northern Chinese food. It's hard to spot (but it's opposite Crocs, the shoe shop), and that's partly because it only has 4 or 5 tables. We were lucky to get a slot, and had we arrived a few moments later, we'd have been turned away.

The menu offers a bewildering array of dishes ranging from standard Chinese to more unusual offerings. Fortunately for our party, we had a long-time resident of China in our midst, and he directed us towards the hotpot, a fondu-like dish served up with raw beef, lamb, cabbage, spinach and much more besides.

The photograph, alas, does not do the dish justice. On the left side is a spicy watery sauce, on the right a milder concoction, into which diners drop slathers of raw meat, tofu, vegetables and noodles, and wait for them to cook.

The next step is to scoop them out into one's plate and mix it up with minced garlic and a sesame sauce. Although I'm not normally a fan of sesame, particularly tahini, this was an inspired mixture that set off the meat beautifully.

For those not into sharing, it is perfectly possible to order up the usual Chinese dishes (with a twist). Apart from the ubiquitous sweet and sour chicken, the menu also offered Kung Pao chicken, a flavourful Szechuan dish served up with peanuts, delicious egg-fried rice, as well as some good side dishes, such as sesame-coated green beans.

A hotpot with a smattering of side dishes and a Kung Pao chicken, with beer, set us back 80 L.E. per person, making it a very affordable night out. An excellent spot for dinner.

3, Road 233, Maadi. Cost: approx 80-100 L.E. per person if sharing. Beer served (no wine).