Restaurant review: Butterflies in my tummy Gamal Nkrumah swings by 55 for Tuscan trifle, or is it Venetian "pick-me-up"? There is more to Maadi than Road Nine. Finally I came to 55 itself, at first sight a quintessential example of all these newly-opened Maadi restaurants. The headwaitress ushered me through the garden were drinks and snacks are served. "However, we do have the main restaurant indoors. It is quieter and air-conditioned," she assured. "That certainly sounds far superior on a sweltering summer's evening," I ventured. "Smoking or non- smoking room," she queried. Inside all was tranquil and relaxed. The colours of the walls themselves were especially calming. "Non-smoking, please," I pointed to the cerulean blue room. The smoking room was an ugly and unnatural hue of apple green. Next, she came in with the menu -- a gigantic book. The escalope Viennoise, fried thick slices of breaded veal topped with parsley, anchovies and lemon was tempting; however, I opted for fish. The salmon steak had a rich distinct flavour. At first I suspected it was literally marinated in 55 different spices, then it dawned on me that the 55 refers to the house special combination of spices. The seared salmon was drizzled with butter and lemon and had a delicate texture and flavoursome oily skin. The pink flesh had a refreshingly light and flaky consistency. There was a lean and clean quality to it. My partner decided to try the entrecôte Café de Paris -- marinated grilled sirlion steak drenched in the famous French butter sauce. It takes its name, of course, from the world famous Entrecôte Café de Paris, established in 1930 in London's Baker Street -- Sherlock Holmes's territory. The word entrecôte denotes a premium cut of beef used for steaks and roasts. I had to try "fall-off-the- bone" tender flesh, as my partner pronounced it. The meat was quite simply divine and literally melted in my mouth. It was drenched in crème fraiche and cracked pepper sauce. I was hoping for the most buttery of cuts and I got what I craved. Be that as it may, I was sorely tempted to try the fillet mignon, grilled beef fillet served with either a creamy mushroom sauce or an ardent pepper sauce, expertly cut from the tenderloin. Ironically, in France filet mignon refers to a particularly expensive cut of pork. Not so at 55. Meanwhile, the escalope maison -- slices of veal filled with smoked turkey, cheddar cheese and mozzarella -- sounded a tad too rich. Equally tempting, though, was the deep-fried butterfly prawns served with tartar sauce and crunchy sautéed vegetables. The fritto misto di mare -- the delicious platter of mixed deep-fried seafood -- was on offer. I love the creepy crawly crustaceans -- especially plump prawns and crabs. I wondered, however, if they had cuttlefish and scampi at 55. The waitress looked a bit lost when I asked her about these exotic sea creatures, but much to my surprise she came back with a delectable French onion soup. There were heaps of onions and the beef broth, made extra flavoursome with caramelised onions, was scrumptious with croutons and melted gruyére cheese topping. I could not turn down my favourite soup. I was so excited about 55 that I decided to frequent this Maadi eatery again. This time my partner and I decided to try the pasta. My partner went for farfalle (butterfly in Italian) -- a dish that originates in the northern Italian regions of Lombardia and Emilio-Romagna. At 55 the farfalle comes with smoked salmon. I, on the other hand, chose seafood fettucine Alfredo fish, crab, squid and shrimp with broccoli to boot. Fettucine Alfredo, is of course, an American variation on the original Italian fettucine (little ribbons) served with pesto alla genovese. At 55, the delicious dish came with garlic butter and grated Parmesan cheese. And, what a treat it was. Dessert, however, was the best of all. We ached for the most heavenly of Italian desserts -- tirami-su (literally "pick-me-up" or "please me"). It is also known as Tuscan trifle or, quite simply, Heaven in your mouth. This delectable dessert is also associated with the town of Treviso, northwest of Venice. It consists of delicate ladyfingers-like sponge cake ( savoiardi ) naughtily dipped in mocca-flavoured whipped cream and the whole kissed with strong espresso and sprinkled with chocolate. In Italy, tiramisu is also topped with mascarpone cheese, marsala wine and rum. Alas, the last three ingredients were not included in the 55 version. 55 Café and Restaurant 55 Road Nine, Maadi Lunch for two: LE190
