Restaurant review: Osman's dream Gourmet Turkish cuisine and Ottoman opulence. All are reminiscent of the mediaeval Turkish tale, muses Gamal Nkrumah As anyone who cocked half an ear to traditional Turkish strains at Osmanly will tell you, the music is soothing and matches the mood of restrained finesse that overwhelms one upon entering the restaurant. The Maitre d' comes by to take the drinks order and this evening Queen Tiye is teetotal and demurely asks for still water. I opt for sparkling. Traditional Turkish teapots and the finest Black Sea teas served in lotus crystal glasses. Osmanly is an antique restaurant that offers a theatrical dining experience. But part of the charm and appeal of the place is its simplicity. The décor is chic albeit unaffected by overly ornate Imperial Ottoman pretensions. "The minute you walk through the door of the eatery you are transported to the Bosphorus or the Sea of Marmara on a magical rug. I love dining on water. It has a tremendous feel to it." Yet she steers us away from the melodious music of the Ottomans and I am too obliging to complain. There is a distinctive decorative theme throughout the spacious restaurant. Osmanly's interior inspiration points to Imperial Istanbul and yet it nods towards the more humble origins of the Ottomans, too. The yoghurt and sour creams of the pastoral peoples of the Eurasian steppes and Central Asian Turkish tribes, the Suljuk Turks of Anatolia, the forerunner of the Ottomans and the mounted warriors of the Ghazi emirates, are generously poured over Turkish dishes with abandon. My eye was caught by the plethora of dolma on the menu -- vine leaves and motley vegetables served piping hot. Dolma cooked without minced meat stuffing with olive oil, rice and herbs are called "yalanci", "fake" or "liar" dolma because they don't contain meat and are invariably served cold. There is a discerning spark in her classic ancient Egyptian eyes, dark and outlined with blue-black kohl. Queen Tiye delivers an uncanny verdict. The grandees who gathered at Osmanly were not Ottoman Pashas or Beys -- they are Cairo's nouveau riche. Queen Tiye slices her dolma thinly and eats tiny forkfuls. The culinary art of the Topkapi includes the pacanga borek, pastrami, rocket, grated kashar cheese and sour cream which is quite simply divine. Pastirma, Turkish pastrami, is another flavourful secret ingredient Queen Tiye relishes. Freshly baked Turkish bread came with choice Turkish goat cheese, drizzled with olive oil and accentuated with pureed olive as a side dish. By the 17th century, the staff of the Imperial Ottoman kitchen numbered some 1,300 -- all housed in the palace, of course. The chief cook was in charge but this redoubtable chef was responsible for anything that went wrong. He was assisted by a bevy of gourmet specialists -- the scullion, baker and a special pancake maker. Puff pastry desserts and savoury dishes preponderate. The 12-hour braised lamb with roast pumpkin was heavenly. Rosemary enhanced the flavour of the melt-in-your-mouth meat. When the Ottomans talked about "overturning the cauldron" what they really meant was that a rebellion in the ranks was cooking. Plots were often prepared in palace kitchens. The kitchen was the centre of palace politics. The Janissaries, the predominantly Christian-born slaves turned mercenaries, were referred to as "Soup Men" and pilaf rice cooked in seasoned broth was a staple of theirs. The huge cauldrons used to make pilaf. The fruit adds a tangy edge to the otherwise not overly spicy cuisine. Spice was a suspicious ingredient as it was assumed that poison would easily be concealed if the dish happened to be too spicy. It also detracted somewhat from the natural freshness of the ingredients. Lahmacun, or Turkish pizza, a thin, round doughy dish topped with minced meat and crowned with fresh parsley and other aromatic herbs is a culinary legacy of Imperial Istanbul. Kavun dolma, stuffed melon, is a delicacy that harks back to the heyday of Imperial Ottoman cuisine. "Pumpkin cake topped with almond ice cream for dessert, I reckon." Her frizzy curls are in serious disarray. Osmanly Restaurant, Kempinski Nile Hotel Garden City, Cairo
