Restaurant review: Paying for playing Indiscriminate fusion doesn't necessarily produce the tastiest dishes, discovers Gamal Nkrumah Thursday night and Friday afternoon are very different affairs in Cairo. Dining at the Cielo Lindo is testament to that fact. The tempo is faster on a Thursday evening. The food is served quicker and there is an air of animation that is distinctly lacking on a lazy Friday afternoon. This is certainly an eatery where food is more important than celebrity sightings. And, it does not test its customers' spending power. My sons and I were there one evening a few weeks ago, and it happened to be a Thursday night. We ventured into the Cielo Lindo again last Friday. And, it was somewhat different from our first encounter. This restaurant has a certain roguish charm. Well, what was it exactly? For starters, the Cielo Lindo isn't a restaurant for adults, with the notable exception of parents accompanying their children. It is designed to meet the needs of children and adolescents. The Cielo Lindo is not quite a café and certainly not a full-blown restaurant either. Youngsters, nevertheless, tend to warm up to the place and my sons were no different. They solemnly sat, sipped and nibbled. Are the waiters at Cielo Lindo missing a trick here? Not really. There is no attempt to hide what is going on. The children's playground is not exactly spacious, but it is quaint enough to arouse their curiosity. It was not just the provenance of the place that I found so attractive, but the prices as well. The food is by no means gourmet, but it is far from unpalatable. In some restaurants there are certain fish dishes that are likely to be featured regularly. Not so at the Cielo Lindo. There are basically two kinds of fish. The Black fish is extra spicy. I opted for the classic fish even though I hadn't the foggiest idea what classic meant in the context of the Beautiful Paradise and I was soon to discover the delectations of this delightful dish. Like almost every other dish on the menu there is a fast food simplicity that appeals to the young. The ambiance, too, is attractive. The cutlery is nothing fancy. And neither are the tablecloths. They all, however, seemed to be kept sparkling clean. This is a restaurant that will prosper even in difficult times. Perhaps I am being unfair but it is not esteemed food-wise for much more than pasta and pizza. The front part of the specious restaurant has exposed brickwork. The far end includes the kitchen range. Having survived the initial shock of encountering what amounts to another not so fast food joint, and the ubiquitous greasy mess of a number of the dishes served at Cielo Lindo, I was convinced that the food was not up to par. My sons, however, were of a different persuasion. The Cielo Lindo pasta was a dish that interested the elder boy; the veal fattah did not. Lasagna verdi can be overtly rich and cholesterol laden. The Chicken Negrisco slightly less so. The Cielo Star pizza was favoured by the younger boy. I opted for a seafood oven platter, and that turned out to be exceptionally good. I shied away from the fish with pink sauce. As a joke, I suggested that we try it. Howls of protest followed. They have a point, I guess. Grilled chicken, grilled beef and certain salads are ideal for weight watchers. And the grilled veal is also a marked diet. Extreme tuna is also diet, but I couldn't stomach the insinuations of the terrorist appellation. Everything else is non-diet, I suppose. I cannot say that Cielo Lindo is not your average Cairene restaurant. Maybe they came because Cielo Lindo is a lot like home. What struck me was that everyone was eating the same course at the same time, or was it my imagination? All the dishes looked the same: fish, chicken and red meat. I thought it was all rather amusing. Cielo Lindo Lunch for three: LE150 Tel: 2521 2471 26 Street, 233, Degla, Maadi, Cairo
