Injy El-Kashef follows the yellow brick road I had just depleted my bank account once more on school fees and was in need of a good strong coffee to sober me up. Strolling around City Stars after having resisted the pair of silver earrings that seemed to call out to me, I made the round of the food court in search of a pleasant spot where I could regain stability. As I passed by the multitude of options dotting the arena, each represented by a couple of personnel vying for customers' attention, it was the café by the name of L'Opéra that won my inclination. Its layout and décor were inviting, for it was spacious and furnished à la Japanese, with solid black and crème patterns juxtaposed on the upholstery of its high-backed seats. Besides, it was delightful to find that I would be the sole customer there, despite the neatly laid-out open buffet breakfast (available from 9am-noon). People have come to shun calm, as it would appear, and L'Opéra offers precisely that. I climbed the high chair of a small round table and was instantly greeted by a waitress donning a sincere smile, as opposed to the many, uniform-clad boys and girls I had already passed, who had all been trained to properly flash their teeth. The sparkle of the eyes, however, can never be hammered in. First things first, I placed my order -- in the process of which I discovered that said waitress still had a few things to learn, though I also did not doubt that she would learn them in time. From a reasonably extensive menu (without being confusingly so), I selected a latté with double shots of caramel, along with a Crab Club Sandwich for sustenance as the day was, regrettably, still young. She brings me the goodies; I pour just a hint of brown sugar in my coffee, just to savour the yummy molasses aftertaste it will leave in my mouth. I then set out on a little reconnaissance mission of the sliced-up brown toast sitting before me. Under the top are thin processed crab slices, sweet corn kernels, diced up red and yellow capsicum, and arugula leaves. I search for a bit of butter or mayo in hope for balance. It is not only a question of ingredients but, more importantly, one of consistency. None to be found however, and so I squeezed the toasts tight in order to prevent losing the stuffing of my sandwich. I cannot claim that it was tasteless, yet it was no gift from heaven either, lacking as it did that most precious element: harmony -- too much sweet in the crab meat, the corn and coloured peppers, and not nearly enough sour. As I sipped my delicious coffee, my nostrils craved a little something more. My mind had by now wandered to the older generation, as I was still under the spell of my recent discovery: imagine suddenly recognising your own mother's real and full worth after all these years. I needed chocolate. A quick glance at the menu's dessert section revealed an irresistible word: beignets. These were banana beignets covered in chocolate sauce and accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice- cream. I shared a tip with the waitress to relay to the cook: milk ice-cream is usually a more interesting flavour to combine. The good thing about L'Opéra's food is that portions are reasonable, and thus a "multi- coursed" brunch is far more of an option than at venues where plates are laden with what resemble punishments, rather than meals. They were two bananas, sliced in half, crunchy around the edges with fried batter crumbled on the dish, yet soft and almost creamy inside. Seeing as the establishment has its roots in 1927, 80 years of business have helped perfect the chocolate sauce brilliantly. My head was crowded with thinking, yet it all followed a beautifully coherent path; and though I could not relish the dessert as I would in shallower moments, it was a sweet awareness indeed to know I could return whenever missions of gastronomic hedonism beckoned. Carpe diem as I tried, the real carving that came out of that day was one of multi-disciplinary exploration. Suddenly, the fees invested in my son's education felt a whole lot better. Reviewed order: LE60 L'Opera Citystars Nasr City
