Pizza can be a problem. Pizza dough recipes are not always perfect and, let's face it, are not the healthiest of foods. But, the pizza at La Rosa has a classic, fresh homemade aroma. Don't expect a complicated delayed-fermentation method. Clocking in at 300 calories a slice I presume, the Pizza Hut variety, with all due respect, is not my favourite. It is for growing lads with normal healthy appetites. I had always had an aversion to that particular kind of pizza, even as an adolescent. It was widely known that I would not eat it. So when Platinum Blonde, Redhead and, somewhat reluctantly, Queen Tiye decided to go for La Rosa, a delightful Italian restaurant tucked away in Degla, Maadi, I thought, “I'm out of my depth. I'd better eat this stuff.” And so I did. To my utter surprise, the pizza was great. The ambiance is down-to-earth and quintessentially Italian, though nothing like the melodramatic aesthetic pleasure of upmarket Italian eateries. There are perhaps bigger and better Italian restaurants in Cairo, but La Rosa is the place to frequent if you fancy healthy food and a cozy evening, while not wanting to pay a fortune. First, the antipasti. Platinum Blonde and Redhead ordered soups to warm them up, which is always a mistake in my book. Redhead opted for the crema di cipolle, onion soup, and Platinum Blonde for the minestrone, the traditional Italian vegetable soup. They both quickly moved on to the antipasti after gulping their soups down. Platinum Blonde, perched at her table, was ready to devour her suppli — mozzarella, rice and ground beef fritters. Queen Tiye was more at home with her fungi trifoliate — fresh mushroom with garlic and oregano drizzled lightly with olive oil. Redhead revelled in the rucola, fresh cheese and finely chopped tomato. And now, for the primi piatti or pasta. I went for the gnocchi verde — pasta made from steamed potato flour, spinach and eggs drenched in a creamy blue cheese sauce. Redhead was on cloud nine with her tortellini — ricotta spinach with smoked turkey and peas. Queen Tiye was over the moon with her farfalle La Rosa — bow tie pasta with smoked salmon, parsley and tomato sauce. And, lo and behold, it was time for the secondi piatti — the main course. Being the carnivore that I am, I hit upon the delectable northern Italian wintry expedient of preparing beef in a fashion that relegates barbecue, burgers and the like to second-and third-rate dishes. I could never resist ossobuco — the veal shanks drenched in La Rosa's chef's special sauce simply melted in my mouth, the meat literally dropping from the bone. Platinum Blonde pointed insistently and impatiently at the filetto La Rosa — beef filet in a mushroom, peppers and yes, you wait for it, four cheeses sauce. Queen Tiye was petrified. “You are heading for a heart attack,” she quivered in disbelief. “Pass the spoon,” Redhead pleaded with Platinum Blonde. “I'm not scared of a cardiac arrest, it's my waistline that worries me,” she said as she dug in. She then quickly ordered the involtini di pollo — chicken breast, oozing with oily juices, and stuffed with a creamy spinach and cheese sauce. “I would like bistecca alla pizzaiola, please,” Queen Tiye snapped. We all greedily eyed the steak, capers, grilled tomato and oregano that promptly arrived. “I guess there is no room for pizza,” I coughed triumphantly. “Oh no there is,” darted Platinum Blonde. “Plus dessert. Surely, we cannot possibly leave before the dolce vita?” “We will be taking the Pizza La Rosa home, please,” Platinum Blonde looked at the waiter squarely in the eye. Apparently, the pizza consisted of dollops of mozzarella, smoked salmon, garlic, grilled seafood and caviar to boot. “And, could we have a tiramisu now?” La Rosa Maadi
