Restaurant review: Consuming passions Gamal Nkrumah vouches for the perfect fish place We are creatures of habit. And, spring is in the air, and in Egypt that means the ancient Pharaonic festival of spring. It might seem strange with all the fanfare accompanying the country's ancient Spring festival to eat rotten pickled salt fish. The stuff is revolting. It's stench unbearable. Yet, it has become the symbol of spring, together with green onions and boiled coloured eggs. Fertility is the key to understanding this most important of Egyptian festivals. The perfect getaway is Ain Sukhna, the closest Red Sea resort to Cairo -- merely an hour way. There are numerous fish restaurants in the vicinity of Suez and Ain Sukhna, but please whatever you do, stick to Abu Ali. That is the only great restaurant in the resort. This unique eatery is just across the road from the Amigo resort complex. The neighbourhood is nice, the setting splendid. Turquoise sea, azure skies, golden beaches and whitewashed villas and apartment blocks with rose, crimson and burgundy bougainvillea dazzilingly brilliant in the blinding sunshine. However, a word of caution. Don't look for seductive interiors in Asmak Abu Ali. It is an eatery designed specifically for those hungry for fish. It is a restaurant for those in a hurry, who want to devour the denizens of the deep and rush back to the beach. The clientele of Abu Ali also include a sizeable component who want take the fish away and eat it in the more familiar surroundings of their seaside chalets. Its home delivery department is excellent, even down to the divine special Abu Ali seafood soup. The most striking thing about Abu Ali is the staff. They mean business. They are quite literally busy bees, and the entire eatery is like a model beehive. They have got a bee in their bonnets about efficiency and reliability. They cater for those who are serious connoisseurs of seafood. Their crabs are delectable. The prawns and lobsters are mouthwateringly delicious. The secret of the success of Abu Ali is their professional proficiency. The staff are also great performers, too. Watch them tossing the trays and sliding orders as if on a magical conveyor belt. As a matter of fact, they do act like veritable magicians. I feel for those waiters. I really do. They all have dark rings under their eyes. They work round the clock like robots. At least, however, they can take comfort in the fact that the place is abuzz with loyal customers, all queuing up to have their fill of fish. Asmak Abu Ali is an ideal restaurant for sampling traditional Egyptian fish. It is an obviously popular restaurant with a huge turnover -- the main characteristic of a good restaurant. The fish is always prepared according to the strict stipulations of traditional Egyptian fish cuisine. The red mullet, an all time favourite, deep fried crisp and crunchy. The grey mullet, another equally unctuous dish, was dripping with lemon juice and olive oil, actually a delectable combination. The tomatoes, a delicious side dish, were drenched in garlic and coriander. The mullet has long been our favourite, for bourbouni as it is called in Egypt, is a favourite starter. Mullus barbatus, to give it its scientific name, is a highly prized small fish popular throughout the Mediterranean. It is rich in protein, iodine and phosphorus. In Egypt, it is traditionally deep fried. And, this particular fish is generally savoured at restaurants, as opposed to being prepared at home. Fried fish can be a rather complicated matter. One does not only have to worry about the calories and cholesterol, but also about what kind of oil the fish is friend in. At Abu Ali not only is the fish fresh, but the oil is regularly changed so that there is no aftertaste. My youngest son, Youssef, greedily gobbled up his grilled sea bass. He abhors crabs and other crustaceans -- but has a soft spot for his Cancerian older brother -- a typical Crab. The deep fried prawns are as ever divine, and we devour them in less than five minutes. My elder son Karim loves his prawns fried. Another greasy side dish was the garlicky aubergine, richly daubed in parsley and chilly. Indeed, the salads are just as appetising as the seafood itself. The most delicious, in my humble opinion, of all Abu Ali's treats is the soup. The fabled Abu Ali soup is a clear, albeit deep buttermilk. It matches the colour of the cream-tiled floors of this eatery. Clams, bits and pieces of crabs and squid -- as well as tasty morsels of nicely seasoned fish -- have been a winning combination that has attracted customers from as far afield as Cairo. Asmak Abu Ali Opposite Amigo Village, Al-Sukhna highway Dinner for two: LE120
