Restaurant review: Please 'my pet' Now that summer is upon us, it is high time to call on the best traditional Thai cuisine in Cairo As the days get longer and warmer, Thai cuisine seems very much in order. Since time immemorial, the resourceful Thais have endured the rigours of their sweltering tropical paradise by consuming huge quantities of traditional cool beverages, often consisting of assorted exotic fruits and mountain or forest herbs. A favourite of mine is iced lemon grass, with its delectable verdant tint -- it produces indescribable bursts of pleasure and instant refreshment. Lemon grass is also reputedly a remedy for renal disorders and fatigue. A cool lemon grass drink, Nam Ta Krai in Thai, is a rich source of energising vitamin C. The fragrant herb also serves as a diuretic. Other equally refreshing, medicinal and nutritious Thai drinks -- Longan juice ( Nam Lam Yai ), and Roselle juice ( Nam Hra Jiap ), for example, could be sampled at the Sabai Sabai -- which was once perhaps one of Cairo's raunchiest discotheques, the redoubtable Rive Gauche. In my day I did dance the nights away there, but I think I much prefer it as a cloistered Thai sanctuary. Three months ago, Tida, the Thai propietress, with the help of her Egyptian husband, turned Rive Gauche into Cairo's fanciest Thai restaurant to date. Which is how I end up here, downing a swift glass of Nam Hra Jiap, the luscious vermilion drink, noted for its reinvigoration effects. Thai thirst quenchers are exactly what you need for physical and mental rejuvenation on a steamy summer's day. They also temper somewhat the famous fiery Thai dishes. However, one could always politely ask for "my pet" -- Thai for "mild" food. Thai people reach out for cooling beverages as withering heat roasts the tropical Asian country. The French tried to colonise Thailand; they only got as far as Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia -- Thailand's neighbours to the east. The Brits, too, coveted Siam -- the ancient name of the country. But they only got as far as Burma, Myanmar today, to the west. The kings of old Siam played one European power against another, jealously guarding their independence. So Thailand was the only Southeast Asian country never subjected to European colonisation -- and that historical fact is reflected in its unique cuisine, which hardly features European influences. Still, Thai food has become increasingly popular in the West. Tida beckons the restaurant's young chef, Panee Katma, who promptly demonstrates his skill at our table. He deftly works a lotus flower out of a green papaya with his nimble fingers -- we watched in utter wonderment. "I spotted him at the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Egypt and the inauguration of the Thai Embassy in Cairo, and I knew instantly that he was the chef I needed," Tida explained. "Look at him, isn't he an artist, a genius." Then we get down to the serious business of sampling the mouth-watering Thai dishes on offer. Already sons are stuck in steamed balls of seafood cooked in banana leaves -- Ho Mok Talay -- a yummy mix of fresh crab flesh, squid, boneless fish chunks and clams. I opt for Thai red curry with roast duck -- Kang Phed Ped Yang. The Thai people pride themselves on their hearty and sophisticated cuisine. The key ingredients are coconut milk, lemon grass, ginger, chili and curries -- green, yellow and red. The Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) and the Gulf of Thailand (Pacific Ocean) are rich in sea life, and Thai food is distinguished by its extensive use of seafood -- a wide variety of fish and crustaceans. My favourite Thai dish is without question the Tom Yum Gung, the world famous lemon grass soup -- a clear soup traditionally served with plump prawns and assorted herbs. It supposedly cleanses the blood and induces an improved state of emotional disposition. Another favourite of mine is the Som Tam, or fiery green papaya salad, also popularly nicknamed Papaya Pok Pok. Thai cuisine makes extensive use of green mango and green papaya. Both dishes are readily available at Sabai Sabai, while desserts are fruit-based, invariably drenched in coconut milk and sometimes made with beans, sweet potato and pumpkin. The ambiance at this most refined Zamalek eatery is serene and its overall soothing effect is simply sensational. Although considered at the more expensive end of things for Cairene restaurants, Tida assures me that Sabai Sabai literally means "Take it easy". Reviewed order, Thai jasmine tea, a roselle drink and two lemon grass drinks LE265 Sabai Sabai Al-Maahad Al-Sewisri St, Zamalek Tel: 7351846, 7363197, 0122100129 By Gamal Nkrumah
