Restaurant review: Tender age saloon The search for a Cairene eatery that caters almost exclusively to the young came to an abrupt end last month The Living Room as a café which rather overtly targets upwardly mobile youth. For the young, healthy and well-heeled, The Living Room is quite the hang out. Three days after the official opening, this curious Zamalek haunt was littered with kittenish sweet sixteens and young men to whisper sweet nothings in their ears. I had imagined a quaint little café overlooking the Fish Gardens. To my surprise, it was far from cozy. Easy-going, yes -- intimate, most certainly not. Columns of smoke raced to the low ceiling in dancing circles. The youthful clientele were obviously immune to the hazards of smoking. The food, too, is not meant to stave off old age -- it is obviously for those with healthy appetites. Calorific content is quite high and the portions were not designed for those with an eye on calorie restrictions. Yet the clientele is well-proportioned. You can tell immediately that their energy expenditure far exceeds their energy intake -- the men lean and muscular, the women slim and shapely. The place is fizzing with energy. Bold and beautiful mingle in a relaxed and rollicking atmosphere. What was once a hairdressing saloon -- run by Cairo's celebrated coiffeur Hassan El-Soghayar -- has been transferred by Tamer El-Leithy, who also owns and runs the cafe Insomnia at the other end of Zamalek, into a distinctive, elegant eatery. El-Leithy commissioned designer Haytham Abdel-Ghani to jazz up the interior of The Living Room. Books are everywhere -- above you, below you, by the window, on shelves; I even spotted one or two on the floor, which perhaps adds to the general feeling of abandon and relaxed atmosphere of a teenage lounge. And contemporary pop art is much in display. The Living Room is designed for couples but not families. Unruly and clumsy children should be barred from The Living Room. It is not very spacious but the restricted space does not detract from its charms. The menu is as buoyant as the interior design. Star de Mare: a huge platter of marinated grilled salmon, prawn, fried squid, lemon butter and pineapple horseradish flakes. The salmon steak was succulent and lightly seasoned, the prawns large and juicy and the sauces a tad too rich. My friends opted for the Harlem Burger, made with imported Brazilian beef. It was not up to par, though. Instead of the ethereal mouthful, my friends and I met the unpalatable disappointment of frozen minced meat cooked too hastily. The texture was tough, dry and chewy with none of the succulent meat juices you'd expect of a good burger. I would sooner starve than taste it again. My friend, who is something of a glutton, couldn't even finish his food. His sweet tooth, however, had to be satiated with an apple pie that was supposed to be accompanied by vanilla ice cream -- unfortunately for my friend, the café had ran out of ice cream. I opted for the rather rich and very fishy shrimp bisque. It was not. My companion chose chicken soup instead, which again was saturated with fat -- but there was far more cream than chicken. Much emphasis is laid on the breads, explains chef Mohamed Galal. The managing partners are none other than Trianon, famous for their pastries -- wickedly rolled and folded with dough, and as buttery as they are floury. Well, at least the juices are heavenly. The Living Room Special, a cocktail of banana, mango and strawberry, though not exactly a thirst quencher, is a spectacle to behold. The watermelon and lime slush is also delicious. Both come in enormous glasses. So much so that my strawberry was a meal unto itself, with enough vitamin C to supply my needs for a lifetime. So, to some up, the juices are great, but you'd better not hold your breath for a memorable meal. Unfortunately, I couldn't get away with the purloining of the very attractive menu, complete with toy cutlery. The Living Room Al-Gabalaya Street, Zamalek. Reviewed order: LE190 By Gamal Nkrumah
