Restaurant review: Tasty turkey Jailan Halawi samples the fat bird at an improbable castle Escaping bustling Cairo with all its audio-visual pollution, my friends and I decided to escape to Al-Mahash -- a hardly known camping site by the beach between the Red Sea Coast of Nuweiba and Taba -- in a bid to unwind from the capital's stressful life and recharge our energies. There, by the White Beach camp where we stayed, our treat was simply nature in its purest form, where our accommodation on the seashore wicker huts along with our meals were equally basic. Fascinated by the lunar charm, my friends and I decided to further extend the adventure and dine in what has become the must-see Castle Zaman. Our Nuweiba friend Ali advised we call to book a reservation. Warmly welcomed by a damsel with an East-European accent, I was asked about the number of people eating, whether we preferred lamb, turkey or sea food as our meal and the time we would like to eat explaining that while we were welcome to show up anytime and stay for as long as we desired, our food would not be ready except three hours following the order time. We chose turkey. We were delighted to learn we need not dress up for dinner. By 8:30pm, we were driving our Kia Picanto -- which despite its tiny size we considered a Grand Cherokee. The Castle stunningly and gracefully stood like a fortress of the mediaeval times. Awed by the grandeur, my friends and I started humming the tunes of Ramzi Korsakov's Shahrazad while excitingly anticipating that our adventure would be one compared, at least in its feel, to the One Thousand and One Nights tale. We took a steep ride up a ramp and we finally reached our destination. Immediately we were identified by our Czech hostess, Lucia, who'd spoken with us on the phone. Bewitched as we were, we decided to take a tour of the place first. Everything about the Castle is environmentally friendly. Reclaimed wood was used in all construction and furniture, while chandeliers and lighting fixtures were all handcrafted from recycled glass bottles. From beneath the Castle, an underground treasure dungeon has been excavated that includes a treasure-hunt style gift boutique. Equally stunning was the natural spring-fed swimming pool situated right on the edge of a rocky cliff, a site that my friends and I found so inviting to schedule on our next trip for day use, since the Castle does not offer long stays but could be rented for special occasions and honeymooners. Ending our tour, we were starving and seconds after taking our seats food was swiftly served on large trays carried by two waiters and escorted by Lucia. Though the serving plates were not many, the portions were humongous. Our turkey came in two huge plates, embraced by a combination of vegetables including zucchini, aubergine, bell peppers, carrots, potatoes, sweet potato, onion and garlic. As a side dish, they served rice with a spread of the traditional Mameluki molokheya garnished by a sliced boiled-breaded egg along with a gigantic salad platter. No matter how famished you are, there is no way you can finish your portion. The tenderness of the turkey was amazing. The fat bird's meat being very slowly cooked on a very low temperature for a long time and served with cooked-to-perfection vegetables and flavoured with the most palatable seasoning. There were two types of potatoes. One cooked whole with the skin and the other shredded extensively and obviously simmered for hours in the turkey's natural juices in the steaming pot -- the chef's secret recipe was a delight. For dessert we had biscuits with vanilla ice-cream and chocolate sauce and we washed it all down with mint green tea. Whether ordering lamb, turkey or sea food it costs LE150 per person without beverages and dessert. Castle Zaman 35km south of Taba Airport For reservations: 002 018 214 0591 Meal for three: LE550
