Five Bells with its buzzing bar and fondue Bourguignonne leaves more than warm memories behind, chimes Gamal Nkrumah Like a piece of fine tailoring, the Five Bells has been a restaurant the customers of which have grown into with style. The clientele tends to be more mature, the so-called ageing trendies, the more seasoned socialites of Cairo who enjoy good food and the occasional drink to wash it all down. There are the old and the very old, and the really old- fashioned who refuse to be confined to the enclosed cloister choked with smoke next door -- Pub 28. Then there are the people who party well into the balmy Zamalek summertime nights. If we look at them with old- fashioned prisms, then we'll not be stepping on the dance floor or swing along to the sweet music of Sadek El-Lini every Monday evening. As restaurants, so in old-fashioned roses -- they have a distinctive bouquet. The Five Bells has a fragrance like a certain flower. Jasmine? Or is it Phuopsis stylosa, the Egyptian Star Flower? The Five Bells is easy to overlook, as it is tucked away in some hidden corner of a plush Cairene island-suburb and obscured by towering apartment blocks. It is lost in the urban muddle of Zamalek, overshadowed by the shiny new five- star hotel restaurants, the high-end eateries favoured by wealthy expatriates and locals alike. This is a long-winded way of saying that the Five Bells has a homey atmosphere. It is cosy, inside and out, on the meticulously mowed lawns. Decriers of the five-star hotel restaurants rightly point out that they tend to be too international, too sanitised. That is not the case with the Five Bells. It is hard not to leave the Five Bells inspired by the tables lovingly installed in the garden. The food satisfies the highbrow taste of the well-heeled clientele. The group begins to shuffle about. The high quality of the food and charming service keep Cairenes flocking to the Five Bells. Fear not that it will turn out to be a culinary experience to the exclusion of all others. It is one of the few restaurants in Zamalek that I'd judge unmissable. A visit to the Five Bells is compulsory, not because the food is the most palatable in town, but rather because of the ambiance. To eat flown-in steak and salmon seems inadmissible. But, the beef Stroganoff of the Five Bells is superb. Another hallmark dish is the fondue Bourguignonne. This particular sumptuous repast is a specialty of the house. The finest cuts of beef tenderloin is introduced by the headwaiter who mumbles an incomprehensible description of the concept of the Swiss communal dish shared at the table in an earthenware pot called caquelon over a small burner dubbed rechaud. So far, so good. Diners dip the beefy chucks of tenderloin to cook them themselves as they chatter happily around the table. The fondue pot, of course, is filled with sizzling oil. Watch out for the weird goblin, perched in a shady niche in the Five Bells garden. He was originally stranded in some mansion in the Upper Egyptian metropolis of Assiut. Today he seems quite happy in the midst of Zamalek, whiling the time away. And take a minute to admire the baroque fountain surrounded by angelic cherubs, while the flesh-coloured tenderloin cuts are browned. Sample the fetta cheese and tomatoes paste, the Dawood Pasha meatballs drenched in a rich and spicy tomato sauce, and chunky shish tawook chicken cutlets seared with onion slices. Or munch the succulent and juicy kebabs smothered in baba ghanoug aubergine dip. Yet at the end of the evening what remained most precious to me was the sense of having fun with food and ambiance alike. Music is one of the lures of the Five Bells and dancing the night away is a repast in itself. It was as fun and funny a night out as I can remember. The tall trees, goblin and cherubs offer a sense of place. Eating at the Five Bells in summertime is an indulgence I'd never forego. Five Bells 9 Ismail Mohamed Street Zamalek, Cairo Tel: 2735 8980
