Restaurant review: The upper crust There's everything to play for at The Terrace or, for the time being, The Kiosk. Gamal Nkrumah experiences the next best thing to the World Cup It is not often that roadside restaurants turn out to be cutting edge culinary troves. Tucked away on the Cairo-Alexandria desert highway, a stone's throw away from 6 October City and Smart Village, is The Terrace Restaurant, part of the Designopolis furnishings, design and home accessories complex, and the first of several stylish eateries scheduled to open within the next three months. So it was with considerable excitement and great expectations that a friend and I accepted an invitation to attend the launching of Designopolis home furnishings and design retail centre. It is, after all, a mere six kilometres from the entrance to Smart Village, Egypt's leading high-tech venue. The prospect of trying to find The Terrace on the Cairo- Alexandria highway was daunting to begin with. Eventually we did get to the glistening glass-fronted complex just as the crimson disc of the sun was setting. The desert air was crisp and refreshing, with none of Cairo's pollution, and we were soon greeted with plenty of refreshments. As invitations go, it was exceptionally enticing. "Designopolis is more than just a mall for high-end international brands like Alessi, Cassina and Natuzzi," explained Nader Lahzi, managing director of Bonyan, a retail and commercial Development Company established by Citadel Capital. "We are also giving the best home-grown interiors concepts an attractive new venue where their products and services can be showcased side-by-side with the world's best designers." "That level of excitement and that fresh perspective are needed to get people into The Terrace who might otherwise not," mused award winning chef Ferrier Richardson, former Scottish Chef of the Year and gold medal winner of the Frankfurt Culinary Olympics. With the World Cup in full swing, Chef Richardson boasted that The Terrace would make the perfect playground for lovers of the Beautiful Game. "A huge screen and plenty of room in the open air for football fans to watch their favourite teams in action," he hastily added. Richardson, perched out on the doorstep, noted that The Terrace was named after its attractive outdoor seating area. For the duration of the tournament, snacks and light meals are being served at The Kiosk until the official opening of The Terrace sometime just before the onset of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Until then, The Kiosk will act as a magnet for football lovers. The waiters, swarming like bees, struggle to keep the food warm, while catching a glimpse of the matches. I was momentarily distracted by the glint of crystal tableware and state-of-the-art glassmaking, and was soon introduced to some of the sharpest young artists in the field. But then we were back to football and food. Richardson served his apprenticeship in his native Scotland. From the Scottish capital Edinburgh he moved on to culinary stints in London, Paris and Geneva. So will the Scotch egg feature on the menu of The Terrace? Well, it might be enjoying a surge of popularity in Britain's redoubtable gastropubs, but it is neither Scottish nor will it be served at The Terrace. You are far more likely to come across roast breast of duck with stir-fried fresh spring greens or spring rolls with braised leg of duck. And in case you are wondering, no haggis will be served at The Terrace either. The Kiosk perfectly compliments The Terrace. The a la mode whites, greys and black interior décor contrast with the lilac, azure and rose of the desert landscape at its most beautiful, the sundowner kaleidoscope. Asian cuisine is a popular inspiration at Egyptian restaurants nowadays and at The Terrace, the choice is wide, with Japanese, Chinese, Thai and Indian undercurrents. Ginger and lemongrass are as likely to crop up on your plate as rosemary and thyme. A pleasurable sort of confusion as opposed to fusion. "And, Egyptians seem to be buying into it," stresses Richardson. Ahmed Heikal, chairman and founder of Citadel Capital, the premier private equity firm in the Arab world and Africa, concurs. "Bon mot." The Terrace Designopolis Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road Tel: 3303 9421 Snacks for World Cup for two: LE150
