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L’Aubergine
by Juergen Stryjak
 Still a little too young, too fresh, in the life of a
restaurant to be considered a legend, the restaurant L’Aubergine
is nevertheless capable of holding its own as part of the Cairo
dining scene. And for three very good reasons: First, L’Aubergine
comes paired together with the bar Curnonsky, found above L’Aubergine,
which accessible through the latter’s dining room. For many
expatriates and Egyptian pleasure-seekers, this marks the starting
point for their evening’s journey through the city’s
nightlife. The second reason is its light vegetarian food –L’Aubergine
claims to be Cairo’s first and finest vegetarian restaurant.
Thirdly, it features the décor of an airy, romantic,
Mediterranean looking place – or at least what Northern
Europeans and Americans consider being classically Mediterranean.
The tabletops are chiseled from natural stone. The coarse,
whitewashed stucco walls support wooden shelves, decorated with
wickerwork and dried flower arrangements. On the tables, you will
find long, elegant candlesticks next to bottles of fragrant olive
oil. The menus are handwritten in calligraphy. On the right side
of the restaurant are cozy tables for small groups. Along the left
side are tables, too, but the seating against the wall is a long,
pillowed banquette, extending the length of the restaurant,
perfect for accommodating larger groups of friends.
L’Aubergine’s unique all-in-one atmosphere
provides patrons with a restaurant, snack bar, and pub while
offering the intimacy of your living room at home. Nevertheless,
it remains stylish and tasteful, in a city where plenty of other
restaurants transform themselves, after many years, into a daring
mix of various styles and trends.
But is a clear and simple design idea enough to elevate places
like L’Aubergine into a hotspot? Of course not. L’Aubergine
is more: It is owned by Nicha Cursock, Cairo’s active host,
well-known for lots of other places like the Absolut or Le
Tabasco, and it is managed by Samantha Dogmetchi, an ambitious
British expatriate and the heart and soul of many clubs and
restaurants like the Cairo Jazz Club or the recently
inaugurated Flux.
L’Aubergine is located in a snug little alley, looking
like a greenhouse, due to the glass roof over the entryway. When I
entered it recently, I was greeted by an acoustic blend of soft
Dixieland music and 30’s style jazz. It was early evening, and
the patrons were arriving with heavy shopping bags, full of
purchases from sidewalk sales. I ordered a cappuccino and blue
cheese melted on a baked potato (LE 12=$ 3.30), which arrived a
little drier than I had anticipated when reading the word ‘melted’
on the menu. The following Mushroom Quartet for LE 24 ($ 6.50),
served with mashed potatoes, was very good. The menu is entirely
vegetarian, featuring such delights as Roast Tomato Soup for LE 8
($ 2.20), Spinach Cheese Crêpes (LE 16=$ 4.40), Gnocchi
Parmigiano (LE 18=$ 5) or several salads, like Tomato, Mozzarella
and Basil Salad for LE 12 ($ 3.30) or Warm Goat Cheese Salad ((LE
14=$ 3.80). Be aware that L’Aubergine changes the menu
frequently and arranges periodically special theme months, such as
the ‘Salmon Special,’ which featured a dozen different salmon
dishes.
Even if you add the usual 20 percent of sales tax and service
charge, L’Aubergine is an inexpensive place to find a
fine vegetarian meal. If I were a famous restaurant reviewer,
influencing Cairo’s dining scene, I would write a dining guide
that excluded all restaurants and bars that do not give their
guests a clear idea, in advance, of what the total of their tab
will be at the end of the evening. Unfortunately, it would be a
very thin brochure, but I am happy to say, that L’Aubergine
would be included gladly.
L’Aubergine. 6, Sayed El Bakry Street. Zamalek. Cairo.
Telephone: 3320080. Open 11 am to 2 am.
Okomato
by Mariam Salama
Passing under a curtain, then through a sliding
door off Ahmed Orabi Street, you walk straight from Egypt into
Japan, where a tiny woman in a red kimono who seems to jog
everywhere greets you. Okamoto is a husband and wife run affair
with a gentle atmosphere in tandem with the most exquisite
service. A cup of tea awaits you once you have removed your shoes
to sit on the mats.
Okamoto’s dining room is separated into
Western dining tables and traditional Japanese seating. Desiring
to absorb the full effect of the experience, I opted to dine at
the shin-high, squat-table traditional seating.
The dishes seemed tasty so after looking to the
huge menu of Japanese delicacies, I chose the sushi and tempura.
The meal arrived mere minutes later. The sushi (with wasabi and
sliced ginger) is spectacular and once you have taste it, you can’t
resist ordering another. The tempura (fried seafood or meat and
vegetables) is very tasty and is accompanied by a delicious sauce.
Meat, fish, prawns, pork, eel, rice, noodles etc. are prepared as
you wish. The Japanese salad is incredibly delicious.
My friend ordered egg-drop soup, which was
served steaming-hot. Next came the salty noodles, which were as
wonderful as she said. Delicate slivers of tuna and fresh
vegetables are interlaced with Okamoto’s homemade noodles.
After we savored our meal, we felt that we had
just eaten some of the finest food we’ll ever taste through
life. We recommend this restaurant to every one has not yet
enjoyed the opportunities for Chinese cuisine in Cairo.
Service is excellent and friendly. Main courses
run from 20 - 40 LE, starters 4 - 10 LE, so you can have an
expensive or cheap meal there.
The restaurant opens from 12 - 3pm & 6 - 10pm and
closes on Wednesday.
Address: 7 Ahmed Orabi Street, Mohandiseen
Tel.: 3465264 .
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