Restaurant review: Bangkok for your buck Hannah Mintz quests for a perfect girls-night-out restaurant Finding such a place in Cairo is no easy task. Too noisy, and your gossiping requires screaming across the table. Too posh, and you spend the whole time worrying if your outfit is up to snuff. Too expensive, and you wish you had a date to pick up the check. But in Zo, tucked off Midan Aswan in Mohandessin, my girlfriends and I found the Holy Grail. Walking into the wood-panelled eatery, the genial staff made us feel right at home -- home being somewhere in Asia. Though we couldn't quite place the origin of the melodic beats accompanying our meal, the music -- at a volume suited for intimate conversation -- immediately put us in the mood to devour some Eastern delights. Scouring the wide-ranging menu, decorated with a kitschy yet hilarious wooden elephant (protruding tusks and all), we tucked into a bowl of crispy shrimp rice cakes served with three inventive dipping sauces, a welcome alternative to baladi bread. The green tea was served in a beautiful ceramic pot, which disappointingly had Lipton tags dangling from the top. The place creates a cosy ambiance with comfy bench seating and elegant light fixtures that illuminate the eatery at the optimal level. Buddha paintings and statues adorn the walls. While the atmosphere is warm, the air is a bit cool, so bring a sweater. While impressive in presentation, the starters left something to be desired. The overly-sweet dipping sauce did not quite suit my Thung Thong, crispy bags filled with some sort of chicken and vegetable mixture. And one of my companions concluded that her vegetarian soup, filled with deceptive chunks of fresh ginger ("That's not a mushroom!" she exclaimed), was too heavy for an appetiser. It was a different story when the main courses came around. As is advisable whenever enjoying Asian cuisine, we opted to share all of our dishes. Sushi is available, but we decided to stick with a Thai theme, as that seems to be Zo's real niche. A warning to the wise: the tofu with green curry and eggplant should be ordered along with a big bottle of water (or one of Zo's delightful fruit juices) to douse the flames on your tongue. Nonetheless, the texture and taste of the tofu was first-rate. And this is coming from an avid tofu-avoider. The Gai Phad Khing, chicken stir fried with ginger and onions, caused a mild catfight at our table over who was going to get the last bite. After my companion won, I was tempted to lick the plate. One thing we were not happy about, though, was the extra LE10 charge for steamed rice. Any woman knows that the best and most important part of dinner out with the girls is dessert. And Zo did not let us down. We asked our friendly waiter to bring us the house specialties. The warm sweet potatoes topped with cool coconut milk and cinnamon were out of this world and the deep-fried bananas with vanilla ice cream were worth every calorie. Everything at Zo -- from the cutlery to the bathroom -- screams luxury. So when the bill came, we were braced for the worst. Though it's not cheap, in any sense of the word, we were pleasantly surprised at the affordability of our indulgent three-course meal. It was a great place to treat yourself and catch up with old friends. But we all agreed it would be an excellent spot for a date too. Next time, the boys can come. Zo 23 Dr Mahrouki Street Aswan Square, Mohandessin Tel: 3302 0795 Dinner for two: LE125
