Restaurant review: Sunny side up Traditional British breakfast can be a treat especially when eaten with an Egyptian twist and a breathtaking Nile view, notes Gamal Nkrumah Like most human follies, having a buffet breakfast at a five-star hotel sounds good at the time, and always fail. Especially when you are footing the bill yourself. They sound good because what they replace is usually the all too familiar everyday. Some friends of mine came over from the United States and the Caribbean about a month ago. Opportunity beckoned for breakfast at the Ramses Hilton, and so I went with my two sons. At first I thought they would balk at the thought of an unusual breakfast. But, to my surprise, my sons' eyes literally lit up at the thought of a really unusual breakfast -- which in Egypt, is never quite British, for many five-star hotels refuse to serve pork products. A few do serve ham, bacon and pork sausages, but the vast majority substitute beef instead of pork. And, most are big on cheese -- invariably the French, Dutch and Danish varieties. Curiously enough, the eggs invariably end up as the star attractions. Everyone, ourselves not excluded, rushed first to the "Egg Man" as my endearingly sons called him. His eyes were on the skillet. He was smiling from ear to ear. "How do you like your eggs? Omelette, poached or fried? Whatever you want, you shall have it," he waited patiently for their studied response. "I like mine with runny yolk, sunny side up, cooked just until the whites are set," fired my eldest son Karim without a blink of hesitation. My youngest son preferred omelette -- Spanish omelette served with finely chopped tomatoes, spring onions and bell peppers. He loves to watch the cook cracking the eggs. He watches with intense admiration as they are being whisked and the garnish dumped over the beaten eggs in the frying pan with sizzling hot oil. My mind wandered off to Egg Benedict, or eggs Florentine -- but you can only get that at the Marriott, I suppose. I felt a bit like Lemuel Benedict, the infamous Wall Street broker who staggered into the Waldorf Hotel, New York, in search of a cure for his hangover. The concoction, Egg Benedict, was named after the poor man. Broiled ham and toasted English muffin with broiled ham or bacon topped with a rich hollandaise sauce. What a wicked thought! I sheepishly asked if the Egg Man could cook me a poached egg or two -- just until the white has congealed and the yolk remained soft, I pleaded. The breads were delicious and there was quite a selection of delectable bakes. The traditional Egyptian brown pita bread -- as opposed to the white Levantine version -- was pipping hot and went along perfectly with the fuul meddames (traditional Egyptian fava beans topped with grated onions, parsley, cumin and olive oil). This most Egyptian of dishes is best prepared in a qidra, a thick metallic pot with a thin neck in which the fava beans simmer in their own juices overnight until tender and tasty. I prefer my fava beans whole, I dislike the mashed variety. I also opted for black rye-bread, which is not very common in Egypt with my fuul meddames. Guessing what my youngest son, Youssef, was about to blurt out, I got there first: "small things amuse small minds," I said by way of teasing. "Do mind your own business," he retorted dryly and proceeded to tuck into his scrambled eggs. He hates beans. By this time he was making a mess of the starched white tablecloth -- and I suspect deliberately so. Marmalade and ketchup were flying about in a wild manner, landing in the most unusual places: inside my friend's unfortunately wide-opened handbag, my freshly-ironed shirt, his brother's nose -- the latter immediately prompted swift retaliatory action. We shall not go into that now. To cut a long story short, he claimed he has been forced to take action, apologising profusely for his brother's objectionable behaviour. The freshly-squeezed juices were another attraction. I could not make up my mind -- hibiscus, orange, grape fruit, guava, mango, strawberry? "Strawberry, please," ventured Youssef. Or water melon?. His all-time favourite drink. Another favourite was the cereals. I am not a cereal man, but my sons like cereals, especially the unusual varieties. I was tempted, though, to try muesli and fresh yoghurt, topped with extra almonds, pine nuts and walnuts. When our table is ready, we are given some teas -- Earl Grey, Green, Darjeeling. I go for Green. Terrace Café Ramses Hilton Corniche Al-Nil, Cairo Tel: 02 577 7444 Breakfast per person LE 109
