Restaurant review: Home brew ginger Gamal Nkrumah loses himself in a café with a universal reach The Pottery Café, set in the historic landmark in Zamalek, the Um Kolthoum Hotel, looks at first glance like a promising place for a heart-to-heart. There is no culture in the world that has a culture of cafés like Cairo. There is no city in the world that is as inspirational for a certain type of seedy café as Cairo. These cafés are not necessarily the favourite playgrounds for foreign holidaymakers who have been lured by the irresistible charms of Egypt. For the locals, shabby cafés are curiously an obvious choice for outdoor adventure. It always struck me that while good food is ubiquitously available inexpensively across the Middle East and North Africa, it is much harder to find in Cairo. Let's be honest, the Pottery Café isn't a place to meet the grandees and socialites of the Egyptian capital. The management of the Um Kolthoum Hotel for years has run it, though this may be about to change. What makes the Pottery Café so distinctive is that it determinedly follows the tried and tested low-cost model long instituted across a certain league of Cairo's dining establishments. The restaurant has become a particular favourite among youngsters on the make in Zamalek. January can be soft and mellow with clear, sharp sunny days. Spurred on by the cold, I yearned for a heart-warming drink and a bite, and decided to pop in. First courses range from simple soups and salads. Main courses include equally simple and even less prosaic pastas and pizzas. The point, however, is that the Pottery Café offers excellent value for money and is therefore extremely busy. The hotel itself is not particularly eager to relive the glory days, but this café is. But does it make money? Apparently it does. The management has created a thriving business. Young people come to relax, and smoke a hookah. I guess it is what you would call fast food chic. It features fast food with a healthy twist and a bit of smoke. The Pottery Café's chief distinction however, as far as I am concerned, is the ginger potion offered as a refreshment. For current winter drinking, ginger is hugely enjoyable with none of the excess intensity that characterises hot ginger drinks in other less conspicuous cafés. I pleaded with the waiter to tell me how they brew the potent potion, in a desperate attempt to figure out which secret ingredients made the hot ginger drink of the Pottery Café so delectable. "Yes, it is complicated, but well worth it," was the diplomatic, albeit non-committal, answer. The two-floor Pottery Café offers a wide-ranging menu that lists an inviting selection of mouthwatering dishes. Despite the physical limitations, it is somewhat cramped. The eatery was packed the whole time, but there were problems -- namely food that was on the menu, but was alas no where to be found in the kitchen. That was a terrible disappointment. "The Egyptian dishes on the menu are no longer available. Everything else is obtainable," the waiter said sheepishly. The interior décor is a pale tawny and matching warm browns. This is the sort of place that you frequent if you are enamoured with the delicious aromas of hookahs. And, don't mind mingling with the disgusting fumes of chain smokers. The food arrives in no time. The steak is surprisingly good, and cooked just the way I like it and just according to my instructions. The waiters, apparently, are eager to please. You are spoilt for choice as far as vegetables are concerned: spinach with olive oil; zucchini with coriander; okra and broccoli with mustard sauce. The pastas include carbonara (cream sauce, beef bacon, crushed black peppers and Parmesan cheese); pesto (cream with basil); Arabiata (tomato sauce, garlic, chili, olive oil and basil); Mama Rosa (tomato sauce, basil, pesto and Parmesan cheese). The baked potatoes are delicious. You can have them with cheese and herbs, sour cream or smoked turkey and cheddar. Eat to your heart's content. The Pottery Café 3 Abul-Feda, Zamalek Um Kolthoum Tower Tel: 2735 7974 Lunch for two: LE150
