Restaurant review: I want my ruby slippers Follow the yellow brick road and you're bound to stumble upon Emerald City My friend's answer to anything I said was unwavering. Regardless of the topic of conversation, the response that came was: "I must take you to Makani". If I had dared roll my eyes to her face, the scolding would have been harsh, and so I opted for covert expressions of hopelessness until a chance encounter with the place in question could put an end to the monologues. A few steps take you down to a beautifully- tiled little passageway, earth colours already visible from the outside as you sneak a preview peek through the vista windows. I see splashes of deep orange on the walls; I see fantastic carvings on dark, heavy wood; I see knick-knacks, living objects watching us from the shelves. Enter and you might hear dear old Louis's words singing in your head: "Any time you choose, kick off your shoes; rest your weary mind, and catch up with the news; a favourite book would be, the perfect company, so relax..." Reading out the menus jotted down in coloured chalk on the different blackboards, my eye wandered to a very potent five-letter word: s-u-s-h-i. I raise an eye-brow and pan the interior with my hawkish gaze as I assess the situation one last time before the leap of faith: I see not a speck of dust; self-assured personnel with that discreetly engaging smile and a clientele that checks you out as though you had barged on them in their living-room donning tattered pajamas. Sushi. Indeed, there are couples in the coziness of polite intimacy; students, carrying piles of folders, storming in to grab the highlight of their day; the odd solitary diner confined to the ruthless Excel sheets wiggling its eyebrows at him from the laptop; and of course, last but certainly not least, the assembly of gossiping friends bursting in occasional giggles as they shred an absent someone to pieces. Definitely sushi. On a square hand-painted porcelain dish came my 12-piece selection of raw fish with shari (sushi rice) -- including salmon, shrimp, crab -- and two California rolls. A little dish with Soy Sauce, some pickled ginger shavings and the traditional wasabi bullet were all present to make this one of the best sushi treats I have had in months. So very fresh was it, not a doubt entered my mind that I would live to write about Cairo's only venue for on-the-run style Japanese goodies. My delight notwithstanding, years at the job have taught me that however crazy I might be about my selection, a dining companion can always turn out the smarter. "Oh my, what a gigantic Cheese Melt you got there dear. Here, lemme help you," was all the prompting she needed to cut off a slice and hand it to me. Cheese, cheese, and more cheese still hid between the crusty hot bread, among tomato slices, a smear of butter, and a hint of something horseradishy -- just a hint. You wash all this down with some brewed mint (in their delightful signé goblets adorned with the enterprise's name), you ease up some more on your seat, and you think of Dorothy's "there's no place like home", wondering if the wizard will ever make an appearance through the kitchen door. Makani 27 Hassan Sadiq St, off Salah Salem, behind Baron Palace Tel 691 0310 Reviewed order: LE100 with tip By Injy El-Kashef
