Restaurant review: Je ne regrette rien Madame Poh's late French husband became the inspiration behind her Cairo restaurant Montparnasse, discovers Gamal Nkrumah Every new excellent eatery is an enigma, and Montparnasse is no exception. Poh Dunoyer, the proprietress, is originally Vietnamese. Her late husband was French, though. And, France provided Madame Poh with the ethos and menu for her very own Cairene restaurant. The legendary French singer Edith Piaf's famous classic Non, je ne regrette rien -- No, I regret nothing -- nostalgically filled the air when I first stepped into this enigmatic eatery. Poh was busy at work, as she was when she was manager of Victoria, Zamalek, then Charwoods, Mohandessin, learning the tricks of the trade before moving on to Montparnasse. Un endroit fleuri et ombrageux, as Michelin would have it. Askance, choosing what to eat was made mercifully simple by the delightful Madame Poh. Ecstatic we sang the praises of the inventive Poh to Piaf's Non, je ne regrette rien. We commenced our sumptuous meal with hors d'oeuvres before the starters proper. The Montparnasse salad, drizzled with walnut dressing and luxuriant with ruccola, lettuce, marinated bell peppers, French mushrooms and tomato, was enticing enough. The three of us, two Americans living and working in Cairo and myself, also shared another starter of melted herb-infused chèvre goat cheese. We each had a mouthful, but it was mouthwatering, nevertheless. For the main courses, we thought it prudent to stick to simple grilled fish or steak, which we knew would never disappoint. My down-to-earth American companions went for steak and mashed potato and Grenadin de veu a la crème d'estragon -- veal drenched in a creamy tarragon sauce. I toyed with the idea of stuffed sea bass with spinach, a creamy pesto sauce and steamed seasonal vegetables. In the end I opted for salmon in papillote with a freshly aromatic scented herbal sauce and plain old boiled potatoes. The portions that slid into our plates were hefty American-like in size rather than French petite. The fragrance of the food, however, was decidedly French. The crowning sliver of salmon skin that, I presume, had been flash fried was truly memorable. Appetites were sharpened by refreshingly cold beers. No more elaborate dinner menu was now necessary. We even decided to skip dessert even though the chocolate cake with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream was especially tempting. We missed the chocolate creation of Madame Poh, but each morsel of meat or chunk of fish was cooked with that indescribable combination of Vietnamese passion and precision -- distinctly French with the clean, light whiff of Oriental delights. The background music, too, was French -- mostly Edith Piaf. Even on the busy night I dined at Montparnasse, the noise level was not high. Everyone was presumably preoccupied with the food. "Let's make people happy, so we'll be happy," was Poh's motto. Indeed, in the end there was no need for agonising choices. Poh was quick to give credit for many of these dishes to Monsieur Dunoyer, her mentor. My thanks to Poh personally, however, are long overdue. The final piece of the jigsaw fell into place when my American friend's coffee arrived, again unmistakably French. And so did the Coupe Colonel -- Colonel Cup. Montparnasse is the culmination of a gourmet adventure that took Poh from Indochina, to France to Egypt, a country that may seem an unusual conclusion. "I decided to become a chef when I came to Egypt. I always was fascinated with food, and since childhood helped mother in the kitchen, but my husband was the first person to introduce me to professional cooking. It was an experience that changed my life," Poh explains. Patience, as always in the early stages of restaurant management, plays a key role. Spotlessly clean with glistening white walls and ceilings, in sharp contrast to the austere and somewhat sombre ebony tables and chairs, this is a pretty little eatery tucked away in the depths of Mohandessin. Montparnasse 32 Jeddah Street, Mohandessin Tel: 3335 3273 Dinner for three: LE360
