Restaurant review: Fantastic feast Gamal Nkrumah finds out that at The Crave, you forget about greed and focus on food Never was a dish so misunderstood, so misrepresented -- and, at The Crave so subverted. The dish in question is kunafa. That said, this delicacy is an all- time favourite throughout the eastern Mediterranean. A very fine vermicelli-like pastry, kunafa is said to have originated in the Palestinian town of Nablus. The most popular version, which is served during the holy month of Ramadan, is made with the rich and creamy Nabulsi cheese. It is a sweet, rather than a savoury dish. It is for this particular reason that I was intrigued to discover that The Crave specialises in seafood kunafa. There is the plump prawn variety and there is crab. Then there is mix, which is a mixture of both shrimp and crab. This particular version of kunafa is especially sinful and wickedly rich. It is supposed to be grouped with the appetisers at The Crave, but I warn you that it is a meal in itself. It comes in an enormous platter and in waist-busting portions. Needless to say, it is cholesterol-laden. There is no gold-standard kunafa, just as there is no absolutely archetypal steak and kidney pie. However, The Crave's version is unique, I have never come across anything so original. The deep-fried prawns are rolled in kunafa strings and served with The Crave's special seasoning chilli sauce. Tuck into the fried chunks of crab and prawns right away, tumbling the leftover into the delectable bed of pasta. The filet Diana, likewise, was absolutely scrumptious. Cooked to perfection. It was served with mustard seeds and wild mushrooms. The flames licked greedily around the lip of the platter. My companion noted that her New York Striploin steak described as a classic char-grilled Entrecote and served with potato gratin was divine. I had my filet Diana with mashed potato, one of the tastiest I have had in Cairo. There is a Crave in Zamalek, and another outlet is to open soon in Heliopolis. The Maadi Crave, however, is especially delightful. The restaurant is composed of two floors: the top floor for smokers, the bottom for non-smokers. Cosy sofas are scattered all over the place and huge and extremely comfortable armchairs. You can literally sink into the sofas and snooze until the food is ready when you can stuff yourself silly. The pasta, risotto and pizzas come in humongous sizes. So large are the pizzas and so rich are the toppings that I decided to skip them altogether. My favourite pizza at The Crave is the rucola simple Parmesan cheese and lots of verdant rucola. There is the frutti di mare, mozzarella cheese, prawns, squid and parsley and the quatro formaggi: four cheeses. These are nice even though the latter is a tad too rich. Recommended by the waiter was the risotto with Parmesan cheese, mushroom and spinach drenched in olive oil. The king of the salads at The Crave is the salmon salad. It is composed of smoked salmon slices served on a bed of fresh green rucola with marinaded avocado and mouthwatering slices of Parmesan cheese. The whole lot is doused with the most delicious Balsamic vinegar-based dressing. It makes for a light meal, ideal for those seeking a healthy diet. The homemade black ravioli stuffed with crab meat in a creamy herb sauce is fantastically filling, and so is the zombie burger served with beef bacon, cheese and mushrooms. The Crave functions mainly as a family restaurant, or one in which you can share a meal and some gossip with your closest and favourite friends. The drinks, too, are delightful. My favourite is the hot cider, a little too sweet, but the cinnamon stick adds a special something. Some of the cocktails, too are worth trying. The Crave 30 Road 213 Digla Street, Maadi Tel: 2519 84443 Dinner for two: LE170
