Restaurant review: Plat du toujours Gamal Nkrumah dines in a bar with arabesque brushing against modern masterpieces, belly dancers and dangling Stella bottle chandeliers The blustery November breeze strengthens and it starts to spot with drizzle. The restaurant to plump for in such wintry weather is Arabesque. Plunge into this Stella beer bottle labyrinth nestled in the heart of Cairo. The warmth within is indubitably lewd, positively risqué. Having failed to write down the exact address of Arabesque, eventually I find the inauspicious entrance tucked away next to a sprawling car park facing Tahrir Square. Mens sana in corpore sano -- a healthy mind in a healthy body -- pontificated the Roman poet Juvenal. But the fashion in which the newly refurbished Arabesque has emerged as an intellectual hub suggests that a vigorous intellect does invigorate the very body, especially so when commodiously inebriated. Drink the atmosphere. Most bars in Cairo serve up a few tasty morsels, but are otherwise notorious for their pretty thin gruel. Not so with Arabesque. All around the air is pungent with incense. With the menus taken away, I take in the interior of the distinctive Arabesque. It is heartening to swing along with this juvenile crowd of Cairenes wandering up through elaborate belle epoch buildings. Proprietor Nabil Shaker is obviously a most enterprising entrepreneur. He acquired Arabesque in the heart of Cairo previously best known for its music business and pulsating night life. My companion is ecstatic. The sheer speed of her excited speech and the blasting sounds of the deafening rhythmical music make it hard to make out much of what she is saying. Calligraphy, artistic motifs and geometric forms fancifully combined in Orientalist patterns abound. Mashrabiya screens, traditional latticework in mahogany, sharply contrast with the creative deployment of decorative empty beer bottles as embellishment décor. Stella, a hit of the American pop punk group All Time Low's highest charting album "Nothing Personal", was blasting away. DJ Nader Nelson's musical potpourri is the distinctive ingredient at Arabesque. For more authentic local flavours try the humble garlicky wilted chard, an underrated staple of the Egyptian peasant's culinary scene. In Egypt, one is more likely to come across chard in the ubiquitous taqliya, finely chopped chard, coriander and dollops of garlic sautéed in ghee (clarified butter) and beaten to a pulp with a mortar and pestle. The piquant puree is regarded an essential condiment to okra (Lady's Fingers), colcassia (Egyptian Potato), and spinach stews. Chard, salq, is supposedly an ancient colon anti-spasmodic remedy that relieves the stomach and intestines from excess gasses. It is an anti-flatulent, diuretic and aides digestion. Chard is also known for its laxative properties and is rich in iron, and vitamins A and C. At Arabesque, there is no attempt to hide what is going on. The front part of the restaurant has enchanting paintings by Omar Abdel-Dhaher with evocative appellations: the legendary Hassan and Naima, an Egyptian take on Romeo and Juliet, and Arousa wa Arees (Bride and Groom), both oil on canvas. They are, I am told, for sale. My friend is a rotund and rather youthful, 40. Her face still round with puppy fat, she greedily eyed another of Abdel-Dhaher's arrestingly nostalgic paintings. The striking poses of famous long-deceased belly dancers -- Samia Gamal, Taheya Karioka, and Naima Akef seductively brandishing Stella beer bottles, smack of rather sophisticated kitsch, in sharp contrast to the comfortable and homely feel at the bar and tables. Numerous traditional Egyptian dishes pose a distinct hazard to both the palate and the digestive system. However, for someone predisposed to the Egyptian cuisine, brawny Chef Ibrahim never disappoints. And, his dishes, too, are full of beef. His chopped onion-saturated thumb-shaped coal-grilled kofta is not to be missed. Garnished with parsley, the kofta is a perfect mixture of ground lamb and veal. As we chatter rhapsodically, the dishes rain down, too. My friend's ruqaq, wafer thin layers of delectable dough drenched in butter and minced meat, is gargantuan, a heap of energy- enhancing carbohydrates saturated in fats and meaty tidbits. She lets out another of her waffled heh-heh-heh cackles. I cringe. I left Arabesque feeling rather sentimental about the restaurant, a genuine Egyptian gourmet hideaway, with its very posture jumbled in shimmies and Stella Artois. Arabesque 6 Qasr Al-Nile Street Downtown Cairo Tel: 2574 8677 Dinner for two: LE250
