Seasons Cafe: A trip through Egypt
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
At 5 p.m. at the Seasons Cafe, activity increases as the chefs and waiters get busy preparing dishes for the break-the-fast dinner.
Work is more hectic than usual because the Egyptian restaurant is offering a wide selection of traditional dishes in a food festival called "A Touch of Egypt".
To give a more Mediterranean atmosphere, makeshift tents are erected in the entrance and inside the restaurant, while music is piped at a low volume.
The special hot and cold dishes are prepared by chefs Hani Mohamed Atia and Mohamed Ahmed El Sherif from the Four Seasons Resort Sharm El Sheikh and Four Seasons Hotel Cairo, respectively.
After breaking the fast with a choice of dates from eight countries and a cup of hot tea, customers can choose a selection of mazzah (appetizers).
The favorite babaghanoush (eggplant, Greek yoghurt, tomato sauce, chopped parsley and tahina paste) is recommended with pita bread.
If customers like more tasty nibbles, they could try the tabouleh (chopped parsley leaf with bulgur), while those who like a hot starter should sample the chicken lesan al asfor (bean-like pasta) soup.
A wide selection of main courses are available to satisfy one's appetite, including a mixed grill (beef, chicken, seafood), chicken tagine (roasted chicken), lamb okra (curry), and "oriental rice" (fried rice with raisins).
Idham Mirwan, executive sous chef at Four Seasons Jakarta, said that the people in Mediterranean countries, especially Egypt, seldom ate beef.
"They often consume lamb, chicken or seafood. We rarely find beef in the main course," said Idham, who had studied a Mediterranean menu for one year in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Idham who had been working as a chef for 12 years added that Mediterranean cuisines often used tomato sauces combined with cardamon, cinnamon, ground cumin and other spices to create different tastes.
Meanwhile, numerous desserts are available to wind up the dining experience. They are om ali (bread pudding) and various cakes like sawabih zeinab, mehalabeya with almonds or kadayef with nuts.
For those who like snacks, one should try chicken shawarma with Arabic bread (chicken wrapped with pita bread) and tahina dressing (paste made of sesame seeds). This small-portion snack tastes like a hamburger.
Yudith Nurwulan, director of public relations at the Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta, said that the food festival was aimed at promoting the city of Cairo to Jakartans.
"We also give local people the opportunity to taste Egyptian dishes," she told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Since the food festival's opening on Oct. 4, the response from the public had been good, Yudith said. Almost every day, especially during fast breaking times, the 156-seat restaurant with a garden view is always full of customers, despite competition from the Gran Melia Hotel and the Hilton International, which are organizing similar festivals from Oct. 10 through Oct. 21 and Oct. 17 to Oct. 22, respectively.
One attraction to the cafe might be the lucky draw, with a prize of two air tickets from Jakarta to Cairo return and three nights accommodation at the Four Seasons Hotel Cairo on offer to one lucky winner.
A Touch of Egypt at Seasons Cafe
Four Seasons Hotel, Jl. HR. Rasuna Said, Jakarta
Phone: (021) 252 3456
From Oct.4 through Nov.4, 2005