Restaurant review: Go for the game There is no manga at Mangiamo, but lots of mouthwatering stuff Heliopolis is home to several long-established architectural attractions, and Korba is one. Heliopolis looks with quiet disdain at the rapid development of Cairo's new satellite cities and suburbs springing up on its outskirts. In Heliopolis clumps of greenery barely hold the boisterous boulevards with their noise pollution at bay. Nestled in a quiet corner of one of the back streets of Korba is Mangiamo, one of the lesser-known eateries of Heliopolis. The inside is vaguely reminiscent of a Viennese drawing room. Mangiamo, a chain of curious fusion cuisine marketed as "ethnic" with outlets as far afield as Maadi and confusingly Heliopolis (next to the Military Academy) -- Korba and Heliopolis are two different outlets -- serves Oriental (read Lebanese), Asian (Chinese, Indonesian and Japanese) and Italian (pizza and pasta). Though there is no manga (Japanese cartoons), people frequent the place more it seems for the atmosphere, to smoke the shisha (hookah) or watch a World Cup match on one of Mangiamo's giant screens. What is critical to most customers is that the Korba eatery is a kaleidoscopic oasis of calm. What adds to the thrill is to watch the Beautiful Game in this pop-up restaurant perched in an idyllic spot topped by flowering trees and an old-fashioned villa of yesteryear. You can watch your favourite match outside in the garden, on the terrace or in the cosy, air-conditioned inside. People congregate for the short-lived World Cup tournament rather than the food. Summery dishes, non-alcoholic cocktails, and the endless spectacle of hookahs create the ambiance. I spotted a friend. He was chatting away merrily to anyone within earshot. It was more than worth the walk. I searched the Italian menu in vain for some succulent gnocchi. My sons were debating whether the pizza frutti de mari was more appropriate for the evening's game. Then I instinctively turned to the Oriental. But it was pizza for Youssef. Soon the waiter came with the pizza served on a big plate. Youssef dipped in with a glint in his eye. "You like it?" beamed the waiter. Fried futo maki? Seafood teppanyaki? These dishes are Japanese rather than Korean. And what about the Japanese miso ramen soup? Questions were flying about even as the Portuguese were whacking the North Koreans 7-0. Shitake mushroom nigiri -- the best such mushrooms come from North Korea. The appetisers were delectable, but they were outshone by what followed. Bruschetta is always a winner as far as my sons are concerned. "Your choice of pomadora or pesto," the waiter grinned. Hawawshi was out of the question. Margarita is Youssef's favourite pizza, but I convinced him to try something a tad more adventurous. "Cosy dog?" the waiter beckoned expectantly. "No thank you. Perhaps chicken sate with peanut sauce," I hastened to add. I was horrified by the notion of fried hotdog drenched in tempura sauce, which is what the blasted "cosy dog" boils down to. It will give any visitor to this engaging corner of Heliopolis a great deal of pleasure. I shrank away from the simonfimes (saume fume, I presume) which the Mangiamo menu claimed came with watercress and ratch (radish I reckon) sauce. I could sense that there was a spine tingling atmosphere in the crumbling buildings overlooking Korba's Mangiamo garden so I decided to take a punt for the kids' sake. This is one of the quieter environs of Korba. It feels like a different universe from the hectic boulevards of Heliopolis with its sleek boutiques, funky delicatessens and old-fashioned bars. Mangiamo is not a hot spot for fine dining. Heliopolis Sporting Club is a stone's throw away, and my sons' heads swam and their taste buds danced as they contemplated a meal while watching the World Cup match. The notion was fun after a gruelling game of handball and the hiatus of water polo before settling down to the Portugal-North Korea game. Hawawshi or a couple of stuffed pigeons? The birds were zingy and the cracked wheat ( ferik ) that came with them was nutty. It slipped down like a dream before I felt a sudden kick in the larynx. Mangiamo 17 Boutros Ghali Street Korba, Heliopolis, Cairo Tel: 2256 2206 Dinner for three: LE350
