Restaurant review: Intoxicatingly atmospheric Rio de Cairo, heir to Andrea-Roots, is a Nilotic spot still overflowing with sensuality Minimalist chic, Rio de Cairo is the perfect setting for a romantic evening. The panoramic view of the river enchanting -- it has a brilliant, serene ambiance, a nostalgic elegance. Nature takes over and the Nile vistas prove stupendous. Amr Rakshi, who designed and landscaped Rio de Cairo, transformed it into something of a miniature theme park. I had attended the "soft" opening of Rio last Monday -- the official opening was yesterday. But for me personally the place has a special appeal and I associate it with fond memories. It was the redoubtable Andrea-Roots. I had heard such a lot about Rio de Cairo, but wasn't sure what to expect. Andrea-Roots, which for many years was a favourite spot for our family -- I used to take my children there on weekends, when they thoroughly enjoyed watching three huge pelicans gobble down live fish. I also remember that every Friday there was an exciting children's show complete with magicians and clowns and pantomime to boot. Unfortunately, all that came to an abrupt end when Andrea-Roots closed down and its sad ruins for months on end were something of an eyesore on the Maadi Corniche. But the beautiful setting triumphed in the end. The alluring charms of the dense thick forests of date palms on the Mounib, Giza, west bank of the River Nile are irresistible. The river scenes fill the senses with a dramatic serenity difficult to expunge. The palms swaying gently to the balmy breezes are especially beautiful at sunset -- the sun was a brilliant vermilion disc, the skies rose and lilac. Sunlight bounces off the treetops bathing the river and its banks in gloriously glamorous glow. It is a scene of eternal Egypt -- a scene that harks back to the days of the Pharaohs. Then out of the blue -- murky brown, rather -- by the water's edge a stray black dog, perhaps a descendent of Anubis, the Ancient Egyptian Jackal-like god of embalming, suddenly appeared, at first hesitant, unsure of what to do. As quickly as it appeared it disappeared into the thicket of reeds, but the kids caught a fleeting glimpse of the dog, a barking sound ahead paddled off at great speed, climbing deftly out of the dark olive waters. It got a whiff of the steak, I suppose. I peered suspiciously at every swirl of the river, in anticipation of yet another stray dog emerging from the murky Nile waters. As for the stake, it might have let off a mouthwatering aroma for the descendant of Anubis, but the texture did nothing for my taste-buds. Rio de Cairo has several restaurants -- German, Italian, seafood and a discotheque; there might have been even more, I couldn't be bothered to count. You can order different menus, as we did -- we had both the seafood and Italian menus. The food wasn't exactly terrific in either of these eateries. But the drinks were flowing, especially on the opening day. For starters, Rio is studded with eye-catching billboards of Shehrezade wines and Luxor beers. Waiters glide effortlessly with trays of drinks -- free for the evening. However, the waiters did not appear to be terribly professional. They were jumpy and unsure of the food on the menu. The German "Beer Corner" served mainly sausage -- about six or seven sausage dishes mostly indistinguishable from what I could tell. The menu was rather confusingly in German. The Italian restaurant, on the other hand, had a more extensive range of dishes -- mainly pasta dishes with plenty of rich and cheesy sauces. And the menu was in Italian, with English translation, though. We opted for the seafood restaurant. The boys were excited about the space -- the landscape seemed to expand in scale and charm. They reacted excitedly to this grand new scale. They complained bitterly about the food -- I suspect as an excuse not to sit at the table and instead go and explore the spacious surroundings instead. "Sit down and stop being such a fusspot," I snapped. They could not keep still. Not being happy with either food or service, I was pretty certain there was not one skilled cook in the kitchen. The fresh juices, on the other hand, were terrific. I couldn't fault them if I tried. Be that as it may, I thoroughly enjoyed the entire evening. Rio de Cairo Maadi Corniche (Ex Andrea-Roots) 012 7455722 ww.riodecairo.com Reviewed dinner: LE230 By Gamal Nkrumah
