Indian cuisine spices up the night but where are the patrons? Characterized by a great variety of foods, spices, and cooking techniques, Indian food has always been a welcome cuisine for many well-to-do Egyptians. The Maharaja, which is oddly located at the Ramses Hilton, is a splendid sight. I say "oddly because most venues are currently located in the newer hotels like the Four Seasons or the Hyatt. This restaurant sticks out like a sore thumb in the far from modern décor of the hotel. When you walk up to the second floor, you see a well lit restaurant, the interior not entirely evoking imagery of India, but chic and casually elegant. The elephant shaped knobs on the big glass door provide entrance to the Maharaja. Much of the staff is Indian including the headwaiter and the chef. Minutes after being seated, the waiter offers drinks. Beside the regular wine list, he tells the story of the tailored cocktail that the restaurant has conjured up exclusively for Cairo. Named "The Chili King, the drink tastes like straight vodka with chili peppers and lots of sugar. Wow, a strong one not fit for the light headed. When we first arrived, there was something like Indian elevator music playing in the background, but as the night progressed that changed to Indian pop - truly authentic. The first impression was very positive, except for the fact there was no one else at the restaurant. The waiter laughed and made a sweet gesture that the place was booked just for us. He also added that the restaurant is usually full with foreigners especially before 10:00 pm. Our appetizers arrived. The Jinga Til Tinka (fried shrimps in sesame seed - LE 76) was rather stunning. The Chat Phata Murgh (chilled tender chicken strips marinated in traditional mint chutney - LE 59) was also excellent because the green mint sauce is really tasty, kind of like the yogurt dip with mint and cucumber we eat with stuffed vine leaves. On the side we ordered a variety of naan (Indian flat bread) the highlight being the oily garlic variety. By the time our main courses were set before us, we were pretty full. The food had been great so far but the main course took a slight dive. The Tarka Dal (yellow split peas with a drop of chili oil - LE 39) was a disappointment - quite bland leaving one's palette wishing it had savored a richer dish. The letdown was made up for by the Halyan Aur Baingan (asparagus with smoked eggplant in curried yogurt and tomato sauce - LE 36), however. A vegetable main dish, it was most definitely tasty, perfectly mild spice but heavy. If you're a vegetarian, you'll be happy to take note of the vegetarian menu. This is one of the rare places in Egypt offering a vegetarian menu, but that's no surprise since vegetarianism is a widespread practice in Indian society. Our final main dish was the Jingha Patiala (king prawns sautéed in butter-tomato sauce flavored with traditional spices - LE 115), which was good but not as good as the shrimps we had as an appetizer. The meat was a little too soft but the sauce made them succulent. The final course, the dessert, was out of this world. We ordered Gajjrela (carrot cardamom flan) and Gulab Jamun (fried milk dumplings) with extra orders of cinnamon ice cream that was just delicious. The carrot being sour and the dumpling extremely sweet, it's a dessert to satisfy both savory lovers and those with a sweet tooth. Perhaps the greatest drawback of the night was the eerie feeling of being the only patrons in a rather spacious restaurant, which we were. However, if the chef continues to deliver his high quality culinary delights, the word will get out and this diamond in the rough should be filling up in no time. MaharajaRamses Hilton 1115 Corniche El Nile, Cairo Tel: (02) 577 7444
