Date parfait is the perfect elixir for a Saint Valentine's Day rendezvous, or is it passion fruit, ponders Gamal Nkrumah Passion fruit mousse with raspberry coulis is the dessert of choice at the Windows of the World Valentine's Day special menu. That, at least, is a foregone conclusion. The food at Windows is beautifully groomed and the menu borrows liberally from the French lexicon. Amuse gueule, one of those types of food that have no English-language equivalent, can only really be articulated in unadulterated and unequivocal French. Loosely translated, of course, it is amusement for ze mouse (the mouth). Naturally, it is not just any mouth -- the French have a specific slang for a beast's mouth, gueule. What exactly that titillating teaser of the taste buds would be is left to the conjecture of the patrons of Windows. My premonition is that the single bite-sized hors d'oeuvre selected by the chef for the Valentine amuse gueule would be surprise, surprise, something bloody red. I pray, though, it would not be heart-shaped. Sometimes a little linguistic obfuscation can be a naughty thing. Red, being the Valentine hallmark, a lonesome cherry or strawberry atop a pound of pink flesh of some denizen of the deep sitting sadly amid the intense crimson smear of raspberry coulis, perhaps? Or a sinful red wine sauce? Well, we shall soon see. The riverside dining rooms are hushed and elegant when the Greeks are not dancing. That evening the Greek music blasted and a bunch of Athenian pensioners took over the dance floor. One matriarch was particularly carried away and she jumped to dance on her table. Her hoopla distracted somewhat from the panoramic views of the Nile, in all its nighttime magnificence, memorable with pleasure boats and shore-stranded whales such as Al-Saraya and Nile City sparkling below. If we're talking grand, classy and distinctively French then Windows doesn't quite do the business. Yes, it is French-inspired, but Windows is by no means a classical French restaurant. It was a short and sticky winter, not particularly cold either. Highly polluted, though. This was one of those evenings with the purple haze -- a far cry from the warm winter and a kind early spring with long spells of sunny azure blue skies. Windows, with an unmistakably French accent, is a delight nevertheless. I opted for the rack of lamb Provençal with thyme sauce and vegetables. Lobster medallions and sea scallops that floated over a foaming creamy red caviar sauce came next. Followed by grilled Red Sea prawns and pan-fried sea bass drenched in lemon butter sauce. The caviar sauce provided a nice savoury popping counterpunch to the seductive salmon-pink flesh of the prawns. We pored over the mouth-watering dessert menu. I stopped short in my tracks at the date parfait. That is what you're having for dessert, I insisted. My companion shook her head furiously with equal determination. "No, that is wicked, amoral." But, that was the whole point of Valentine's, I countered. She succumbed and had to concede that she did not regret it. "I knew you had to taste that stuff, and I have to snatch a photo to capture the sheer sense of gratification you exude." Valentine's is loaded with cultural baggage -- issues of taste, colour and cultural values. It looks like it will be a bumper year for beef, this being the Chinese Year of the Ox. So we can expect plenty of red meat on the menu. I prefer my meat medium rare. I believe, too, that fish works best on the bone. My companion settled for the smoked salmon rosé served with horseradish sauce as a starter. My choice was the argula salad leaves with fresh salmon that was nice, but a tad too oily. Windows Valentine's menu might well be French-inspired. Yet the list of this fine dining restaurant is a scarlet reflection of one of the world's sexiest cuisines. Roast beef fillet, with Perigourdine sauce and beef consommé served with filled profiteroles, featured. And, so did Provençal salad with oyster mushrooms and sweetbreads. Windows on the World Ramses Hilton 1115 Corniche Al-Nile, Cairo Tel: 2577 7444 Price per person: LE300
