Playing by the rules

Injy El-Kashef becomes a law-abiding citizen
The best kinds of surprises are the ones resulting from mistakes, like -- for example -- when you put your favourite blue sweater in the washing machine and it comes out a most beautiful shade of pink (precisely the hue you always wanted but could never find). Only then can you consider yourself a lucky person. And that is just what happened to us. We took a cab and asked him to take us to a certain address, chosen in a dining guide. There, we believed, was a creperie that would provide us with dinner. The reason for this choice, let it be understood, was purely financial. As we searched and searched through the dark Mohandessin streets, we found ourselves in front of a door above which the word Rules shone in big blue neon letters. It was intriguing. Rules? Who dares dictate them? Who expects me to live by them? What is this place, anyway?
Well, it turned out to be the closest Egyptian approximation to an English pub that I have seen. It was warm, dimly lit, full of people walking around with their mugs of coffee, a few youngsters gathered around the pool tables, others shooting darts, two girls concentrating on their game of cards while they puffed on their shishas, a family busy with a game of backgammon -- all cozy, comfortable and totally relaxed. It was hard to believe that this place had just popped out of the blue.
We took our seats close to one of the pool tables. It was a strategic location: I planned to nag until my dining partner gave in, got up and agreed to teach me how to play, or at least to hold the cue without becoming a public menace. Before any orders were placed I had begun: "I'd like to play some pool." Silence. "Won't you teach me how to play pool?" Silence. "You said you'd teach me how to play pool." I got a reaction. "I always wanted to play pool." Before I could go on (which I planned to do until we were standing by that green table) dinner was being discussed with the waiter. A set of dominoes landed; the food would follow shortly. Not quite the reaction I had been seeking, but you can't have everything.
We began with a delicious Hot Dog Sandwich for him and a rich, juicy Macaroni with Béchamel for me. I dove into the generous portion and relished every last bit of pasta, while his sandwich disappeared in a flash. Three huge pieces of Escalope Panée had also been waiting at the table and shared the same fate as the rest of our meal. We had not expected good food on top of all the other benefits Rules has to offer. The drinks were no less appetising: the Strawberry Milk Shake and the Yogurt with Fruits were fantastically refreshing and healthy; as for the cherry- flavoured shisha, I will just say that even at Al-Feshawi they don't make them so well. A similar, truly enjoyable, relaxing and appetising meal (ours cost LE75) can be obtained at any time of the day or night, as Rules is a 24- hour operation. If all rules were this fair, I wouldn't have so much trouble following them.
Rules, 16 Mohamed Kamel Morsi St, off Al- Batal Ahmed Abdel-Aziz St, Mohandessin.
Tel: 337 9079
Sunset, Nile Corniche, Giza.
Tel: 5725010
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