The hand of fate

Injy El-Kashef flounders, happily
Fish is not easy. That is what one of my most trusted friends said to me as we were wrapping up the meal -- and he knows about good food, oh yes.
It was one of those evenings when you are starving, have hardly had anything to eat all day, have been thinking of a nice juicy meal but left the house and even started driving around without actually knowing where you might end up. And so when an invisible hand guides you to Zamalek, parks your car in front of Al- Saraya Boat and prompts you to walk down that red carpet leading into that sumptuous hall, you just keep quiet, be grateful and follow.
We entered Al-Halaqa, a lovely, quiet and elegant fish restaurant with huge windows overlooking the black and shiny Nile. Although it was completely empty, neither of us even considered a plan B simply because the place was really quite charming and managed to convey a good and easy feeling which, combined with fish, should make for a wonderful meal. A couple of Stellas, a selection of mezza comprised of tabboula, baba ghannoug, a good old baladi salad and some pickles: this was the appetising opening for more and better things. The baba ghannoug, apparently referred to in Paris as caviar d'aubergines, was probably the best that has graced my taste buds in years. The tabboula was equally good, but could have used maybe an extra twist of lemon and a few more pinches of salt.
The first item to arrive after our careful selection from the ice display was a half kilo of grilled shrimps, which came sizzling hot on two separate platters, resting on a bed of onions. We dug in immediately. The shrimps, like everything else, were absolutely succulent. They had been seasoned with herbs and garlic and were grilled to perfection. What more could one ask for? Soon enough a quarter kilo of fried calamari showed up, golden, tender, crispy, delicious. The head waiter was hovering unobtrusively, with just enough tact, politeness and charm to establish a very pleasant relationship with diners as sophisticated as ourselves. We were having a simply wonderful time and when the fish and seafood rice materialised, the plot thickened.
It was a large and fresh waqqar that we picked, cooked with oil and lemon, and it had such an imposing presence on the table that we simply dropped everything else, shrimps and all, to give it its due attention. My friend carved a few chunks for me and we both sat there moaning as the delicious white flesh of the fish melted in our mouths, accompanied by the rice, creating a delicate balance of flavours and textures. A wonderful meal.
Desserts could not be skipped at a restaurant like that, and so one delicious creme caramel and a chocolatey plate of profiteroles crowned this expensive (LE346) but unforgettable meal.
Al-Halaqa, Al-Saraya Floating Restaurants, Nile Corniche, Gezira.
Tel: 332 3247
Recommend this page
© Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved
Send a letter to the Editor