Restaurant review: Chocolate and cheese Gamal Nkrumah notes that only simpletons would dissent from the maxim that atmosphere is more important than food I shouldn't tell you this, but a lick-smacking treat of chocolate raspberry mousse or chocolate tart with Earl Grey mousseline awaits you at Atrium, Conrad Hotel. For something less highfalutin a classic opera cake or a doughnut will do. At Atrium the philosophy is simplicity. The presentation displays a passionate approach to the dish no matter how simple it is. Atrium is no novel stated concept of chic. In the evenings, it is standard elite fare. Cocktail dresses vie for attention with extravagantly embroidered one-thousand-and- one-nights-inspired capes. Tuxedos and taffetas compete with eye-catching Chinese silk drapery, not exactly subtle, make a powerful case for classical music. On the dark stage lit with clinical rose lighting, a pianist appears out of the blue, like a guinea pig in a science laboratory for experimental music. The cake arrives. The cake means many things at once, each of which deepens the drama. The setting is heaven on earth. To create a gourmet cake, at such a time of the year, requires a great deal of patience. The air is sticky outside, inside the air conditioner feels somewhat cool, still the whiff of hot air outside makes you feel like the oven is a pit in the ground beneath your feet. The cake on offer is a different proposition, however. The creamy colour and nutty flavour are unmatched. They give mousseline a whole new meaning. You feel that you are under the spell of a sorcerer. The fruit are like meltable lumps of heaven. Mousseline, whipped cream and beaten egg whites, has a light airy consistency, and I frankly speaking prefer it with fish, shell fish or foie gras. Unfortunately such savoury delights are not to be had at Atrium. Nevertheless, I enjoyed a spoonful of the light and delicate textured cake doused in mousseline. Meanwhile, in the stultifying atmosphere receptionists fail to respond more courteously to the ordinary customers. Certainly the role of the customer involves much more than the public appearances of celebrities on the podium. But this is how the visitor to the Atrium feels. At any rate, the whole atmosphere seems to be mesmeric, flown in from fairyland. This season, however, renditions of Nilotic scenes dominate the setting. Experience shows that I can hardly hear it. And, I can hardly bear it. Over a slightly disappointing dish, I could not help but notice that the experimental music was not so experimental after all. My heart began to sink as the waitress at Atrium said that she had but a few rather uninteresting savoury dishes; she had mostly sweets. She commenced to go through a three-minute, slice by slice description of the chocolate tart with Earl Grey mousseline. I was somewhat troubled by the grey, oblivious to my lack of interest. What on earth could that be referring to? On the stroke of two o'clock, my date arrived and I wave and she comes over, with the air of someone throwing all caution to the wind. She promptly announced how much she was looking forward to enjoying a treat at Atrium. Not much was expected from the delicacies of Atrium, so she was agreeably surprised by the delicious dishes she presented us with. However, I was flabbergasted. Why on earth couldn't the lively waitress bring the delicacies toute suite ? The sorbet was as smooth as a 20 year-old scotch. The entire experience gave insight into the world of smart Cairo cafés and a welcome relief from the heat and the dust outside. Zamalek across the river, the island suburb's light- filled streets sparkled like some giant birthday cake. "The dominant ideas of every age are the ideas of its ruling class," Karl Marx mused. And, at Atrium, one is reminded that Marx was right. This is not to say that food does not matter. Sacher tart, coffee walnut cake, cherry strudel and whatnot. The tart is tart, but she does not flinch. Atrium Conrad Cairo 1191 Corniche Al-Nile Tel: 2580 800 Sweets for two: LE250
