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CASUAL DINING WITH LEBANESE FLAIR
With the success of Lebanon-based Casper &
Gambini’s chain in the Middle East and most recently in Egypt,
it’s no surprise that the chain’s most recent endeavors
have proven to be a success as well. A few months back, the chain
opened The Terrace, an outdoor annex to its flagship Citystars eatery
specializing in tasty fare prepared on a wood-burning grill. More
recently, it has opened a branch in Cairo’s Nile City Towers,
next to Arkadia Mall.
The Terrace
By Sarah Broberg
Situated on the roof of Citystars, The Terrace is remarkably tranquil.
Water fountains and reflective pools, grass and fragrant vegetation
– all provide a peaceful respite from the aural and visual
assault of the mall itself. Rich wood and wicker furnishings elegantly
contrast with the pristine white canvas cushions of the sofas and
chairs. A garden area, with its low tables, wide sofas and stainless
steel-white vinyl canopies, offers a perfect place to unwind and
socialize. To its right is a bar lined with high-backed chairs and
a few two-person tables, while further on is a more intimate dining
area. Of course, behind all this is the grill, whose flavorful aromas
waft through the open dining area.
Casper & Gambini’s prides itself on “traditional
fare.” While that seems a little misleading, the café’s
choice of ingredients is impeccable. All beef, for instance, comes
from grass-fed, premium stock and is aged 21 days. Always in search
of a great steak, we ordered the 300g rib eye (LE 75), a thick cut
that looked like something from an advertisement, with perfect grill
marks crisscrossing the juicy, completely gristle-free meat and
a thick square of garlic butter melting on top.
Although we’d ordered the steak rare, it was prepared medium-well,
though admittedly that didn’t seem to detract much from its
robust flavor and buttery texture. Adding to the aesthetic was an
artfully arranged side order of grilled asparagus (LE 20). The aromatic
vegetables were buttery and tender, if perhaps a bit overcooked,
but with only five small, thin stalks to nibble it proved rather
tough to get an adequate sample. On the other hand, the Asian noodle
salad, included with the steak, was a generous portion. Its delicate
rice noodles came mixed with a handful of peas, corn and julienne-sliced
carrots, a couple of leaves of romaine lettuce, and seasoned with
coriander, ginger and a hint of garlic. Certainly it was a delicious
alternative to a traditional house salad.
We also tried the grilled lamb chops (LE 65), which comprised four
modestly sized lamb chops grilled to ensure they maintained their
tenderness. The meat was succulent enough to cleave easily off the
bone. Its accompanying salad – we opted for the grilled vegetable
couscous – was a lively, fresh variation of the oriental dish.
The couscous was neither sticky nor clumpy and packed with grilled
bell peppers, onions, zucchini, small bits of eggplant and drizzled
with a tasty citrus dressing. A side order of grilled parmesan vegetables
(LE 15), which included a generous portion of thin potato wedges,
bell peppers, onions, zucchini, eggplant and green beans, rounded
out the meal. It came topped with shaved parmesan cheese and a splash
of balsamic vinegar to enrich the savory grilled flavor of the fresh
vegetables.
The Terrace’s dessert menu is all about temptation. It’s
hard to resist the triple indulgence (LE 27), a sinful confection
of caramel panacotta, apple crumble and chocolate mousse. However,
the chocolate smoothie (LE 21) is equally temptuous, a rich treat
made of blended chocolate ice cream and cold milk topped with a
bit of vanilla cookie crumble.
Casper & Gambini’s is known for its own brand of coffee,
and no visit is complete without at least one cup of their famous
brew. Their espresso bar turns out everything from classic filtered
coffee (LE 8) to cappucino (LE 9) and café mocha (LE 12).
Nile City branch
By Rashad Mahmood
While The Terrace in Citystars feels removed from Cairo, the new
Casper & Gambini’s outlet located above the cinemas in
Nile City puts you right in the middle of the action. Its designers
chose to open up the intimate café environment to the rest
of the mall, creating a hybrid space that feels public yet secluded.
You have the option of sitting outside the restaurant in the mall,
looking down upon eager moviegoers below, or you can sit in the
quieter, more intimate setting of the café itself. This seemingly
irreconcilable contrast somehow seems to work.
We chose a table near the coffee bar so we could see the staff at
work on their well-regarded coffee creations. The first thing that
strikes you is how new and international everything looks, right
down to the tiniest detail: everything from the plastic soundproofing
on the blenders to the sofa-sized espresso machine – a marvel
of modern technology. Furthermore, the staff were extremely well
trained and attentive, able to handle the busy pre-movie crowd that
frequents the café each night.
The menu is quite diverse, featuring a large selection of drinks,
appetizers, salads, sandwiches, entrees and desserts. The first
problem? No Italian sodas on the menu despite a bewildering array
of flavored syrups. With a custom-ordered Italian soda (LE 7) and
the refreshing mint iced tea on tap (LE 12) we confronted the appetizers.
We started with the tomato basil soup (LE 16) and garlic cheese
bread (LE 15). Both were tasty, but didn’t quite satisfy.
The tomato soup provided a wonderful balance of Italian flavors,
but because there was no cream, it was basically just a bowl of
tasty pasta sauce. The garlic cheese bread was also good, but not
what we were expecting. No butter was to be found, and instead a
layer of garlic mayonnaise lurked just below a layer of melted cheese.
We were sorely tempted to order the quesadilla, which allegedly
came with guacamole – quite the rarity in Egypt even when
it does appear on menus – but in the end settled on a raspberry
vinaigrette salad with goat cheese (LE 29). Although a bit over-dressed,
it was made up for by the copious amounts of cheese. The goat cheese
was an excellent accompaniment as its tangy flavor balanced out
the dressing, which came on a tad too sweet.
For main courses we chose the caramel prawns with bok choi (LE 65),
which came served over garlic mashed potatoes and accompanied by
sautéed vegetables. The prawns were large and fresh and the
mild sauce did not overwhelm their natural flavors. All too often
dishes are drowned in soy sauce with no other accompaniments and
then pronounced Asian. This was a noteworthy exception. The only
complaint about the dish is that the promised bok choi was nowhere
to be found, and a more pedestrian accompanying cast of vegetables
were served instead.
We also sampled the house specialty, the curiously named Chicken
under a Brick (LE 46), which we assumed is cooked beneath a heated
brick. The result was a flattened chicken breast that seemed to
have much of the juices squeezed out of it, and with a slightly
dry outer layer. Despite the mediocre quality of the chicken itself,
the sauce was a winner. It combined a strong garlic flavor with
a little soy sauce to boost the chicken’s flavor. The dish
was accompanied by the aforementioned garlic mashed potatoes and
a side of slightly overcooked vegetables.
Stuffed from our main meals, we perused the desert menu. In addition
to standard desserts, Casper & Gambini’s has an innovative
system of dessert “shots,” which are smaller sample
portions that come in tall shot glasses (LE 9 each). The apple crumble
was all crumble and no apple, which was a disappointment. It was
served with ice cream, but the tall, narrow glasses made it difficult
to spoon out the crumble without spilling ice cream everywhere.
The panacotta with caramel was better, having a smooth, creamy texture
but too little of the delicious caramel sauce for the relatively
large serving of panacotta.
Casper & Gambini’s at Nile City tries to be all things
to all people, and this is usually a recipe for failure. It does
lunch for businessmen during the day, pre-movie snacks for teens,
a food court for shopping-weary mall aficionados, a place to quietly
study, and an intimate retreat for couples. Yet somehow it manages
to pull them all off pretty successfully.
Casper & Gambini’s
The Terrace
Citystars
Floor 3
Tel: 480-2410
Nile City branch
Nile City Towers
Tel: 461-9201 |
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