I've always wanted to do this..

A bit naughty, but there is something tremendously satisfying about naming and shaming the places I DON'T like.. at the moment, there's only one..

I once read an excellent and entertaining review by an American food critic. From what I hazily recall, she went to a classy New York restaurant, the first occasion having informed the restaurant in advance, and a second time incognito. On the occasion that she announced her presence in advance, she was shown to the best table in the establishment, given the royal treatment, and she greatly enjoyed the experience (and the food).

A while later, the same critic made a reservation under a different name, and was this time given one of the worst tables, and treated shabbily throughout, and I think (if I'm not embellishing) that the food may even not have tasted quite so good. So it is with that in mind that I write up my review of Abou El Sid, by reputation one of the best restaurants in Cairo.

The first time I dined here in the evening was with a prominent Egyptian activist, well known to the staff. We were treated like minor celebrities - delightful and deferential staff, amazing food (we shared a number of courses), so good that it was the obvious choice to treat my parents (well, perhaps they treated me) when they came to Egypt for a holiday.

So the second experience. Despite having a reservation, we were directed to a table in a dark corner away from the body of the restaurant, and served by a waiter whose manner bordered on surly. He banged our food on the table, marched off before we had a chance to ask him anything, took away our bottle of wine still a quarter full (and never returned it), and left us all feeling a bit frazzled by the experience. And yet we still couldn't quite abandon our social conditioning and deny the man a tip..

Anyway, the food's quite good. Just avoid the stuffed pigeon if you're expecting any meat on the bird. I enjoyed my fettah with lamb - a creamy rice dish with bits of soft broken bread. The various veal dishes were also very good.

Abou el Sid, Mohammed Mazhar (off July 26 Street), Zamalek, Cairo. +20 101 00 8500; 150-200 L.E. per person. Alcohol served

Taramasalata in Alex

It has been a month since I last posted and not surprisingly, it has been a busy few weeks, the highlight of which was a trip to Alexandria, Egypt's northern city. It is a beautiful and faded city, and definitely deserving of a return trip or two.

Some highlights:

Eating at the Greek Club - a little expensive, but lovely terrace overlooking the harbour, and wonderfully tasty taramasalata. And, oh, the jumbo prawns... deliciously coated in a lemon butter sauce..


Breakfast at Delices - excellent patisserie founded in 1922 on Saad Zaghloul square. Very good scrambled egg on toast for breakfast. Sadly, some of the other old patisseries have either shut down, or were closed during our visit.

A walk round the Antoniadis Gardens (and villa, undergoing renovation) - very run-down, and a reflection of the deteriorating situation that guards stopped us from going into the beautiful (and overgrown) lower portion of the garden, suggesting that thieves were lying in wait. But we enjoyed the statues (see picture of Nelson, right, missing not one but two arms!), but sadly didn't get to see (or hear) the macaws that are said to have a fruity command of the English language, taught by British soldiers. The language apparently has been passed down from generation to generation of macaws! Extraordinary..

Another reflection of the worsening security situation was our attempt to have tea on the terrace of the Cecil Hotel, another of Egypt's lovely old colonial-era hotels. We were told that we could no longer sit on the terrace because of the political situation. "It's better to be inside," the front of house people told us.

Somewhat ironic as we returned to Cairo the day that football fans burned down the Egypt football association and police officers club in Zamalek. By contrast, Alexandria appeared something of a haven.