Restaurant review: Golden rules Hanan Radwan savours the secrets of good business The restaurant business in Cairo seems to be a make-it-or-break- it venture. Once opened, the venue either swarms with customers haggling with distraught waiters over their orders, or is left to gather dust, ants and the odd couple that cares for nothing more than a hide-out from Cairo's crowds. Thankfully, however, more and more entrepreneurs are learning to apply the Golden Rules for a full house: the food must be Great, the quantities Generous and the prices Good. Even before sampling the cuisine of Steak Out, it is easy to conclude that its owner is a savvy businessman. From mid-afternoon onwards during weekends and other holidays, the tiny waiting corner of the restaurant is crammed with chattering customers, and the crowd often spills out beyond its entrance door where many more -- seated on the hoods of parked cars -- happily await their turn. The size of the restaurant is definitely not the reason for this frequent congestion. Its spacious H-shaped interior is packed with rows of long tables and couches that can easily accommodate six customers each. Fenced off from the surrounding buildings by an exterior artificial bush, Steak Out envelops its clients in warm earthy hues emanating from mahogany wall and floor panels, wooden sofas and tables, and classic chandeliers that drizzle soft rays of light on its brownish-orange interior. At first glance, Steak Out's menu proposes the same humdrum dishes found in casual dining eateries in Cairo. Yet, the difference here is that the chefs have not skimped on quality or quantity. In other words, you will have your steak and eat it, with pleasure. As my friend and I browsed the menu, we were served baguette slices from a baguette-shaped wooden platter, along with two packets of butter. This is not a restaurant where the waiter snarls inwardly if you ask for your bread slices to be toasted. Full house notwithstanding, you will get your decent share of service and attention. Eyeing the gigantic platters sweeping past us on the waiter's palms, my friend and I braced ourselves for huge portions and thus decided to skip the starters and order a main course. Although listed as a starter, my friend's Steak Out Seafood Combo was at best a mini-banquet of oceanic delights. What looked like a small waterless fountain from a distance turned out to be a square platter heaped with fried seafood in the middle of which stood a tall glass cup that seemed to overflow with spring roll batons. The platter was garnished with my friend's choice of four sauces: ranch, blue cheese, garlic and honey-mustard. Rejoicing inwardly that my order had not yet arrived, I steered my friend towards a heated discussion, and as she talked away I nibbled liberally at her still aquarium. The fat prawns, calamari rings and creamy mozzarella sticks were all draped in a crispy batter that left no oil residue on my fingers. The spring rolls cracked noisily as I bit into them, revealing a treat that is hardly seen in Cairo's restaurants in these hard times: whole (not minced) shrimp. When it came to the pan-fried mussels gleaming enticingly at the side of the platter, my looks of longing betrayed me and my friend allowed me to slurp up the scrumptious briny flesh of the giant shellfish. My order of fillet with creamy mustard sauce soon arrived to save face as well as my appetite. A thick slab of buttery beef resting under a blanket of mustard, the steak came with my choice of French fries and a succulent corn on the cob. You know you've come to a good restaurant when your order of medium-well steak is cooked to the desired level of perfection, losing the blood but remaining chewy. Although we were satiated, we could not resist dessert and decided to share the brownies and fudge. As we slid our forks into the silky lukewarm cake and savoured the heady chocolate fudge we could not help but marvel at ourselves: we were having a pig-out at Steak Out. But we loved every minute of it. Steak Out 16 Kamel Mursi Street, Mohandessin Tel: 372 2183/9 Dinner for two: LE173
