Restaurant review: Relaxed and laid back Gamal Nkrumah relishes a drink to toast the Spring Festival, Sham Al-Nassim It is almost a cheek to give a recipe for milk and starch. The best recipe probably runs: starch, milk, double cream, coconut flakes, peanuts, hazelnuts, and perhaps cashew. Come this time of year, Egyptians who can afford it head for the seaside resorts. Both Coptic Christians and Muslims alike celebrate the ancient Pharaonic spring festival. My family was no exception. Heading north towards Suez on the azure Red Sea coast is the enchanting resort of Stella di Mare, a veritable gem. And that was where I took my family for the Sham Al-Nassim break. End of story. Well, spring onions, boiled eggs drenched in cumin and fried in butter are another seasonal treat, and of course, kippers or salted, sun-dried herrings. All this leaves one unquenched. And nothing to quench the parched pallet than sweetened mint tea. We then moved to a table to try to sniff the sea breeze, the nassim. We were determined to assuage our thirst. The current winescape in Egypt is unrecognisably different from what it was in the 1990s when the country's wine drinkers -- then far less numerous than today -- had little choice. Today there is a wide range of perfectly drinkable wine. And, most are on offer at Cafژ Moresco, Stella di Mare. Animated was certainly the appropriate description for the Cafژ Moresco. Odd how different customers can be on a typical Sham Al-Nassim evening, and the particular attractions they can bring were copiously evident at the Cafژ Moresco. It is, after all, a night of higher expectations. The larger number of Sham Al-Nassim night customers is reflected not just in the faces and the time- keeping but also in the exhilarating ambiance of this rooftop cafژ. The starlit night was entrancing, the sea breeze alluring and yes it might sound like a bit of a clichژ, but there was magic in the air. Most of the customers savoured the waterpipes, shishas. However, the perfumed smoke did not choke, the whiff of sea breeze filled the air. Cafژ Moresco is actually a seaside shisha place, but the air is distinctly different. It is a well-run cafژ with very keen prices. There are juices and tidbits galore with a piquant twist to most. The tart karkadژ (hibiscus) had a good balance of sweetness and freshness. Other delicious non- alcoholic drinks include tamr hindi (tamarind), coconut-based sobia,the exotic dome and a range of freshly squeezed fruit juices. We ventured into the Cafژ Moresco well past nine. It was a quieter start than I expected, though later on it got extremely busy. By midnight it was bustling with young couples and bachelors on the lookout. Most have had a long day lazing by the beach and just wanted to unwind. The Cafژ Moresco is a perfect hideaway to end a long summer's day. The Arab-style mashrabiyas lend a certain mystique to the place. The colourful Bedouin rugs and cushions add a certain je ne sais quoi. The atmosphere is reminiscent of the Arabian One Thousand and One Nights. The night is naturally distinguished by more out- of-towners and more European tourists and couples on dates. Customers wouldn't be coming in directly from their offices, but not from the beaches either. In all probability most have had a sumptuous dinner in one of the many restaurants in the vicinity of Stella di Mare, or one of the eateries in the resort itself. Therefore, they would not necessarily be looking for food, but rather for a relaxed evening, a soothing drink and an invigorating shisha. Café Moresco Km 46 Suez-Hurghada Road Ain Sukhna Tel: 20 62 3250 200 Dinner for two: LE100
