Restaurant review: Pick of the pizzarias Slumbering during the blistering heat of the day, dinner in cool Il Mulino Café is truly refreshing, claims Gamal Nkrumah Queen Tiye looked away from the mirror. "Impepata di cozze, mussels � la provençale?". Her shapely head of close-cropped hair, high forehead accentuated by her sharp cheekbones, Platinum Blonde watched her with rapt attention. "Terrific hairstyle," Platinum Blonde mused. Slanted lustrous jet black eyes with curled eyelashes like a doe's, Queen Tiye glanced at Platinum Blonde but the latter was too quick for her and looked away before she could catch her piercing blue eyes. It was an irony not lost on Queen Tiye that Platinum Blonde paid her a compliment but failed to look her straight in the eye. She had bravely applied layers of mascara that were strangely enough becoming. Platinum Blonde, on the other hand, was rather unmade-up that afternoon -- not tawdry, just cold colours that did not work particularly well with her ghostly pale skin. Queen Tiye, in sharp contrast, was a tad over-dressed for Il Mulino Café. She had donned her regal adornments plated with silver, the necklaces, bracelets and anklets. She wore a dress, pink and coral in colour with an eye-catching floral pattern and bordered in burgundy. Platinum Blonde is no lady of the night, but she sure as hell swears like one. "Come to me," she summoned the waiter. Her voice was shrill and high-pitched. The wretched waiter glanced around in disbelief. "Closer, yes you, closer," she screeched. He inched closer to Platinum Blonde with downcast eyes. "The menu, madam," he whimpered like a wronged child. Platinum Blonde provocatively sat torso erect, legs � la turc, and arms folded across her abundant bosom. Queen Tiye's swollen glossy lips painted in a curious combination of fuchsia and vermilion, her glowing skin and eye shadows in warm neutrals turned heads at Il Mulino Café. Platinum Blonde was at home in Il Mulino Café. Crossing and re-crossing her legs in a vain effort to assume a dignified posture, she pretended to be enjoying an alternative hippie lifestyle. Il Mulino, Italian for "The Mill", was filled with the enticing aroma of freshly baked bread wafting around the pizzaria. I could almost hear a dim echo of the grinding, the pulverising of grain using millstones. Queen Tiye's choice of salad was the primavera -- mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, parmigiano, fresh basil, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. I hankered after the rucola grison -- mozzarella, grison style air-dried beef, rocco leaves, fresh coarsely chopped tomatoes, and parmigiano doused with extra virgin olive oil. Platinum Blonde predictably opted for a croissant sandwich of smoked beef and emental but she couldn't resist a sweet sandwich of nutella -- banana, caramalised nuts packed in delectable Vienna bread. Merrily, Platinum Blonde tucked into her side dish suppli -- fried risotto, croquettes with mozzarella. Queen Tiye, eyeing Platinum Blonde disapprovingly went for carciofi instead -- artichokes with parsley, garlic, capers and lemon. My take was carpaccio di carne -- beef, being the carnivore that I am. Although she defiantly claimed it was not "too rich" Platinum Blonde coveted the diavola pizza -- tomato sauce, mozzarella, salami picante and oregano drenched in -- yes, you've guessed correctly -- extra virgin olive oil. She ended up ordering éclair, the wickedly long French-filled pastry. We talked until very late in the afternoon, or was it early evening? Il Mulino Café, Maadi
