Restaurant review: Season of celebration Gamal Nkrumah savours a sumptuous example of Ramadan delights at Semiramis InterContinental's Night & Day In the lobby we sipped the soup, a creamy mushroom. Not just any mushroom, mind you, but the perfect French chanterelles, or could they have been Japanese Matsutake? The golden bread crumbs flecked with fresh coriander floating swimmingly on the creamy soup were scrumptious. Then there was a delicious bowl of salad -- an eye-catching fluorescent green peppered with finely-chopped garlic, canary yellow and crimson red bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, pistachio celery and pearl shallots, purple cabbage and chives. And that was just for starters -- to break the fast so to speak. Pick up a plate, some cutlery and spoil yourself with a special treat. If you don't particularly fancy an Italian flavoured Iftar at Pane Vino Terrace, Semiramis InterContinental or Ramadan with a Thai twist with Chef Narong's delectable creations at Birdcage at the same restaurant, then stick to the more traditional Night & Day treats and Iftar specialties. To get your bearings, head for the lobby and look for the brightly-lit lanterns and flare your nostrils to fill your lungs with the whiff of authentic Egyptian Ramadan delicacies and other delights from as far afield as Italy, India and China. You can saunter around sampling the curiosities such as Japanese seafood tepanyaki tidbits and tasty Lebanese tabouleh. Then of course, there are the breads and if you still have room for desert mark the mouthwatering Umm Ali (the traditional Egyptian bread and butter pudding) fresh from the oven. Ramadan is the month for those with a sweet tooth to indulge in delectable deserts -- plump and syrupy sweet Balah Al-Sham, and Konafa with fresh cream filling -- a charming assortment to entice the taste buds of both those fasting and those feasting. For the health conscious there are inviting alternatives -- fresh, lightly sautéed seasonal vegetables such as crunchy broccoli, chubby green asparagus spears drenched in butter and caramalised carrots or braised zucchini dipped in butter and ever so lightly powdered with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Ramadan Iftars at Semiramis InterContinental can be a memorable banquet every bit as homely as the preparations of grandmothers of yesteryear. Be that as it may, entrees from the exquisite creations of Chef Eric Heurtel of The Grill and of the ingenious Lebanese Chef Nasser Makhoul of Sabaya, the celebrated "Chefa" Fedrica Piccioni of Pane Vino, the indefinable Birdcage Chef Narong Butsriphoom and, of course, the one and only Chef Mohamed Abdel-Metaal Salem of Night & Day will defy your wildest dreams and expectations for innovative Ramadan Iftars. Chef Mohamed is excited about preparing Ramadan meals with a difference. He does not mince words or hesitate to stick his neck out. "I do dishes with a twist," he boasts. And, you'll have to taste the traditional Ramadan repast with the Abdel-Metaal spin. His overarching narratives are as arresting as Ramadan soap operas, and so are his festive dinners. The roast leg of lamb looks like an engaging fawn at some fiendish sacrificial altar. The diners' eyes are fixed on the flesh as it is roasting changing colour from perfect rosy medium rare to the fabulous mahogany with added flavour and texture of the well-done joint. The party goes on and on, like one of the endless Ramadan nights. Pick the parsley from its stalks and coat the chunky morsel of seared flesh with a fine smear of mustard. To finish, tease your taste buds with mint sprigs and wash it all down with the finest Earl Grey tea, drunk like an Egyptian from a decorative glass. Night & Day Semiramis InterContinental Cairo Corniche Al-Nil, Garden City Tel: 2797 1818 Iftar for two: LE500
