LifeStyle
ChI Stays At..…
All the big 5-star hotel chains are represented….the Intercontinental, the Four Seasons (ChI prefers the one in Giza to the Cairo at the Nile Plaza one despite it being on the Corniche), the Marriott, the Sheraton, and more. All much of a much-ness – but probably the Four Seasons are currently the nicest.
For something completely different, follow in the footsteps of Michael Palin, who stayed at the Windsor Hotel down town at 19 Alfi Bey St – cheap, cheerful, and a very good bar! Not for those who want 5-star luxury however!
Windsor Hotel www.windsorcairo.com www.panoramio.com
Major Occasions
With faintly “Louis Farouk” overtones, there are some wonderful, and faintly retro caterers on offer, for those special receptions, parties, and weddings!
Here are some of ChI’s favourites…..
Sedra patissier, chocolatier, confiseur, at 31 A Shams El Deen El Zahabi St, Ard el Golf, Heliopolis, for its divine confections, superb display and wonderfully old-fashioned and terrific service…not to mention its mouth-watering cocktail snacks, friandises, gourmandises and more! A true taste of old Cairo. Party catering, too. Tel 690 4160/690 4161
Le Carnaval caterer, confiseur and salon de the, in both Mohandesseen (48 Michel Bakhum St, beside the Shooting Club) tel. +202 3388902; and Heliopolis (Roxy Square/El Hegaz St), tel +202 256 5599
Maison Thomas’s Zamalek Grocery, for the best batarekh in town, smoked salmon, charcuterie (including pork products), Swiss air-dried meats, olive oil and French cheeses. Open 24h and free home delivery. Tel 7357057; 7357057; mobile 012 433 6986.
Maison Thomas www.panoramio.com
ChI Art
• • El Sawy Cultural Centre, underneath the overpass offers excellent exhibitions, providing access to culture at prices affordable to the average Egyptian. Flamenco, Egyptian music pop concerts, shows, and more… A lovely little urban garden to rest in.
• There is of course also the newly-reconstructed Alexandria Library, modern in style, but superb architecture and wonderful exhibitions - as well as the Greek and Roman ruins, and much more….but this is not a guide book!
• Zamalek Gallery, on Brazil St
• Mashrabiya Gallery on Kasr El Nil St downtown
• House Town warehouse off Kasr El Nil, for its installations
• Artists to look for:
o Adel El Siwy
o George Bahgoury
o Pop-art portraits by Chant Avedissian – look out for his mid 90s work (reproduced in Abou El Sid above the bar) on the iconic Oum Kalthoum and President Nasser
Chi Drinks
Egyptian whisky and gin are to be avoided at all costs. (If you order in a bar, ask for it by brand, and check it really is imported). So stock up on arrival in the Duty Free (or up to 24h after entry to Egypt, in one of the Duty Free shops in residential areas such as Mohandesseen or Heliopolis).
There is usually at least one shop (but not much more) that sells alcohol, in each neighbourhood, selling wine, beer, etc.
Egyptian wine is pretty drinkable, and easily available in hotel restaurants, though less so for home consumption. However, there are distinctly “two Egypts” in restaurant and hanging out terms – the first made up of those don’t drink alcohol, but still go around everywhere to places where people do; and those that do; and the second that don’t, period.
Try some of these – but to be honest, some gave the ChI a bit of a headache…..so beware!
• Cabernet sauvignon Sheherazade (the label produced by Sawiris, the Coptic billionaire of Orascom telecoms fame)
• Chardonnay and rose Sheherazade
• Obelisk
• Jardins du Nil
• Saqqara beer
• Stella beer, locally produced, and very good!
ChI Reads
• • The Yaqoubian Palace, Alaa Al Aswany
• Chicago, Alaa Al Aswany (because it is really about Egypt)
• Laurence Durrell’s Alexandria Quartet
• Cavafy’s poems
• Cairo, The City Victorious, Max Rodenbeck
• Abdel Rahman Al Abnoudy’s poems
• Girls of Riadh, Rajaa Alsanea (because the Saudis come to Cairo!)
• The English Patient, Michael Ondaatjie
• Naguib Mahfouz (all of his books, especially Mihdaq Alley)
• Claudia Roden’s Book of Middle Eastern Food (so much more than just recipes, it brings the reader the scents and flavours of Old Cairo)
ChI is Listening to…
• Oum Kalthoum, of course
• Warda