Restaurant review: Fun with fingers For the love of Lady's fingers, Gamal Nkrumah reminisces about rich food and old times Once upon a time, people ate with their fingers -- those of the right hand to be precise. Along came European etiquette, which dictated that food is best eaten with fork and knife, the traditional Western cutlery. Chinese, Koreans and Japanese prefer chopsticks. Egyptians and most other Africans swear that food tastes best when touched and fondled by the fingers -- and hence the expression finger-licking good. Indeed, there is a theory that eating certain dishes with your fingers tastes much better than with cutlery, silver or otherwise. Okra and succulent lamb morsels with a generous portion of fluffy, buttery rice is certainly one of those dishes. Stuffed pigeons are another. I prefer the pigeons stuffed with cracked wheat, as opposed to rice. Both are specialties of Kan Zaman, an unassuming Heliopolis eatery that serves traditional Egyptian dishes. My call to book a table at Kan Zaman resulted in a series of pleasant surprises. I wanted to take two stuffed pigeon-loving friends to this particular Heliopolis restaurant, strategically located on Al-Thawra Street, one of the widest and most popular thoroughfares in this sprawling part of Cairo, virtually a city in itself. Kan Zaman is situated smack in the middle of Heliopolis. Kabab hallah are kebbabs cooked slowly in the meat's own juices, fat and stock mixed together in a most appetising manner. The chefs at Kan Zaman could produce something special. The irony is that Kan Zaman, literally once upon a time, is anything but old-fashioned. Its clientele is young and boisterous. With so many restaurants in Heliopolis, it is important to occupy a niche. Most restaurants now belong to chains, local and international. Besara is another favourite of mine. Usually though, I am most hesitant to eat it outside the confines of my kitchen. That is because you are never certain what exactly went in. The salad combinations have fascinating names derived from traditional Cairene working class neighbourhoods: Bab Al-She'riya, Al-Helmiya and Al-Darb Al-Ahmar. The latter includes mish (soft, pickled traditional peasant cheese without rind left to mature for years) and is extremely acrid and strongly-flavoured, softened somewhat by finely chopped tomatoes. I had a mouthful of mish and quickly gave up, focussing instead on the pickled tomato and baba ghanoug (smoked aubergine). My companion tried the mumbar (traditional Egyptian stuffed rich sausages). I decided that it was not particularly appetising, a tad too greasy. The fereek with chopped liver and giblets was, believe it or not, pretty enjoyable. It made a perfect light starter. My pair of grilled pigeons was passed on to my companion -- all skin and fat and no meat. I opted instead for lamb chops. Not surprisingly, it struck me as a brilliant trade off. The roz bil khalta, rice and vermicelli with a delectable topping of chicken liver, finely chopped and drenched in tomato sauce, was the side dish of my choice -- outstanding in itself, with baladi salad (tomatoes, onions, parsley and lettuce coarsely chopped and doused with lemon juice and vinegar). Funnily enough, I thought it was a perfect match -- liver and lamb chops, that is. I could not resist tucking into my companion's rice dish, though. She ordered roz muammar bil butt al-baladi (rice baked with chunky pieces of duck, presumably organic). It was a rich dish that lived up to its reputation. The rice is cooked in milk with lashings of butter and cream. I had a spoonful, and I am pleased to report that it was cooked to perfection, startling in both taste and texture. We finished with this sensational traditional Egyptian dish. Kan Zaman is a nice place to dine out. This humble eatery has the whole Heliopolis buzzing, but if you would rather munch your nibbles in the familiar surroundings of your living room, then home delivery is available. Kan Zaman 80 Al-Thawra Street Heliopolis, Cairo Tel: 02 2417 0955 Dinner for three: LE180
