Restaurant review: Feed a cold Fuel up with fish protein this winter, counsels Gamal Nkrumah in Alexandria Don't believe old wives' tales about not eating fish when nursing a cold. The unfounded superstition is common among contemporary Egyptians, but I can assure you -- from personal experience -- that eating fish aids your speedy recovery from even the most forbidding bout of the flu. At any rate, as the English say, "Feed a cold and starve a fever." Very sensible, indeed. I was determined to eat my way through illness, and I was going to feast on fish, cold or no cold. Moreover, fish is a prerequisite in the fight against fat. Eating fish aids weight-loss by suppressing a hormone called leptin that is closely associated with obesity. Most fish pack a nutritional punch. Study after study has touted the invaluable curative and restorative benefits of eating fish. Lean fish is the ideal medicinal food, and even the fattier fish has a broad range of healing properties. Fish, the doctors delight in telling us, has many benefits ranging from lowering harmful cholesterol levels to strengthening bones and curbing menopausal malaise. But with many people, myself included, there is a major problem as far as eating fish is concerned: the pong. So if you don't particularly enjoy how the stink of fish lingers well after you cook it, why not try fast-food fish for a change? It might well be the answer to the stinking problem. So off I headed to Alexandria -- only to experience a city I had never known existed. For starters, I caught only fleeting glimpses of the Mediterranean. I was stuck in the suburb of Smouhah -- the furthest away from the sea you can get in Alexandria. I fished for a cosy eatery and came up suddenly against a monolithic monstrosity. I strolled into the extensive grounds of the Hilton Green Plaza, like a lamb to the slaughter. To my utter horror and disbelief I could have been in the heart of Naima Bay, Sharm El-Sheikh: the same gaudy colours of the shopping malls, the kitsch, the plastic smiles of the waiters in the countless cafes and restaurants, mostly fast food -- and, surprise, surprise, the same well-heeled clientele you come across in our more fashionable Red Sea resorts. I was flabbergasted, and I wanted out. But there were few escape routes. The entire place was like a make- believe nightmare, a giant playground for poor little rich kids. One or two designer shops swamped by row upon row of fast-food joints and pseudo street cafes -- Trianon, Abu-Shakra -- you name it, you got it. What was I to do? I resigned myself to my gloomy fate and stumbled into what can only be described as a "fast fish" restaurant. Barely a year old, Fish World has only three other outlets in the Middle East -- one in Bahrain, and the others in Dubai and Al-Ain, in the United Arab Emirates. The warm smiles of the waiters welcomed me, as their outrageously psychedelic outfit caught my eye: green shirts, black bow-tie, navy trousers and the brightest canary yellow vests. The decor was equally colourful. I turned a blind eye to the huge salmon octupus on the ceiling. I felt that it could drop and devour me any moment. The cool blue walls contrasted with the warm orange and peach sea creatures -- sea horses, lobsters, crabs and all sorts of crustaceans. To my relief, the fish was cooked to perfection. And most dishes were served with the traditional brown fish rice of Egypt, which was finger-licking good. The fish and chips was not terribly authentic, but the grilled prawns were divine. I shied away from sampling the honeymoon lobster, but the side dishes were superb and tasted nothing like fast food. Fish World, Hilton Green Plaza Shopping Mall, is open 10am-1am. Prawns and grilled denise fish, LE100. Telephone number: (03)4209157 or (03)4209158
