Restaurant review: One cup's enough As the weather heats up, Hannah Mintz tries to cool down and perk up in one of Cairo's cafés After a long, hot stroll through crowded markets last weekend, my friend and I felt a thirst like we had been wandering around the Western Desert for days. But it wasn't water we were after; we sought an oasis springing the ultimate late-afternoon liquid to put some pep back in our step. We were in dire need of some good coffee. My companion and I staggered into Second Cup on Road 9 in Maadi. From the outside, the Canadian café chain appears just like one of the many others that have sprouted up around Cairo in the past few years. But since neither of us had tried this particular chain, we thought we'd see if there was anything to set Second Cup apart from its competitors. Our verdict: while the strong coffee and even stronger air conditioning did not disappoint, in the end, Second Cup was just like all the rest. Don't expect to be able to afford to lounge around, drinking cup after cup of coffee, as the café's name might suggest. The price of an average drink is in the teens, and there were only three small tables in the entire place. Second Cup is no better and no worse than its competitors in the variety of food and beverage offerings. As someone who abhors the taste of sugar in my coffee, my hopes for a cup of iced coffee -- bitter, just the way I like it -- in Cairo are consistently dashed. Second Cup was no exception. The friendly staff member informed me that the only option for a cold coffee was a pre-mixed frozen concoction, the Chillatte. My companion, who puts more sugar in her coffee than anyone I know, jumped at the saccharine description, and ordered a caramel one. Since the blasting AC had cooled my internal temperature by then, I shockingly -- given the outside weather -- opted for a hot cappuccino. With its high milk-to-espresso ratio, my coffee was more of a latte than a frothy cappuccino. But I enjoyed every sip of my size medium beverage, which came in a mug big enough to bathe in. Eventually, I indulged in a sip of my companion's sinful blended refreshment. I must admit that it was remarkably tasty, even though the exaggerated width of the straw allowed a brain-freeze inducing quantity of the stuff into my mouth. To tide ourselves over until dinner, we ordered a chicken Caesar salad, which came in a prepackaged plastic container. Though my companion thought I was being too picky, I ended up triaging a good portion of my lettuce because of its brown hue. The dry chicken was barely redeemed by the tangy dressing, which was too thick to pour over the salad. Feeling proud of ourselves for our long walk, my companion and I also decided to split a desert from the glass window. Many of the treats looked yummy, and I was tempted by the giant chocolate chunk brownie. But I allowed my companion to make the final choice, and we dug into a generous piece of blueberry cheesecake along with our coffees. The fruit topping had the tell-tale canned taste, and the graham cracker crust, while sufficiently buttery, but did not pack much flavour. But the creamy filling was excellent: its flavour was just sweet enough and had the perfect accent of cheese. On my way out of the café, fearing the wall of heat awaiting me on the street, I ordered a blended passion fruit green tea to-go. My initial scepticism about the drink's sea-foam green colour was quickly replaced by elation at its unique flavour and perfect icy texture. The only downside was that the drink was so tasty that I finished it in under 10 minutes, making my respite from the weather all too short. Second Cup Road 9, Maadi Tel: 012 741 2662 Drinks and snacks for two: LE68
