| Beat the heat at Maadi’s Testa Rossa Caffé |
| By Kate Durham |
| Sometimes the only reminder that Cairo has a river running through it is the humidity that makes you feel like you’re walking underwater. It saps your energy, to say nothing of your motivation to cook. Time to kick back next to the Nile at the Maadi branch of Testa Rossa Caffé. Managed by the Concorde El Salam Hotel, which opened Egypt’s first branch of this Austrian franchise in Heliopolis, Testa Rossa sits right on the riverbank next to the Armada Boat, near the Pharaonic-styled Supreme Constitutional Court. When you’re sitting next to the water around sunset, the humidity seems to vanish, offering a welcome respite from the sweltering city. The food menu caters to those looking for something light, with breakfast offerings, sandwiches, pizzas and salads featuring in the food section. If you’re in need of something more substantial, there are a handful of pasta dishes. On a whim, I asked the manager making her rounds of the tables for a recommendation, and she immediately had the waiter bring us a special list of hamburgers, which is not included in the standard menu. We started with the Testa Rossa salad (LE 43), featuring primarily iceberg lettuce with apple chunks, mushroom slivers and tiny bits of asparagus. Artfully served with slices of smoked salmon arranged in the shape of a rose on top, it is a nice light starter to share on a hot night. Presentation aside, it could have been better tossed, as the tasty vinaigrette-marinated veggies were mostly at the bottom of the bowl, with very little dressing on the lettuce itself. My companion ordered the Bacon Burger (LE 60), 200 grams of hand-formed beef patty topped with a mound of shredded beef bacon on a bun nearly as thick as the patty. A generous bowl of shredded onion came on the side, along with a mayonnaise chili sauce that had undertones of horseradish to it — a dressing that went great not just on the burger but as a dip for the accompanying shoestring fries as well. I had the Penne Forestiere (LE 45) with onions, mushrooms and an olive oil and garlic dressing. Topped with a cherry tomato, it is a very generous serving, worth two meals for the faint of appetite. We ended with a single piece of carrot cake (LE 18) selected from the pastry display. It was a bit surprising, with a yellow cake base, rather than the moist cinnamon brown cake I’m used to. The thin layers of creamy butter frosting were just right, however, and the cake was a convenient vehicle for the artistic dollops of caramel at the corners of the plate. With the Euro football tournament in full swing, Testa Rossa had plenty of TVs inside the air-conditioned cafe and around the terrace, so fans didn’t miss a kick while they were enjoying their shisha and drinks. The cafe is open all night, so come Ramadan, you can get your mosalsalat fix by the Nile. Most impressive, though: The waitstaff were not distracted by the football and were very responsive without being intrusive — a sure sign of a five-star service ethic in this laid-back cafe atmosphere. |
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