El Andalous - Re-opening of Restaurants

 

Dining at Sailor's, Sahl Hasheesh

Restaurants here re-opened a while ago at 25% capacity (it may be 50% now as it was scheduled to increase at some point). I’ve missed eating out every now and then, but even now there’s always the anxiety of coronavirus on the table close to you.

Anyway, I’ve eaten out twice since the rules relaxed. 

The first time was for Independence Day when Sandy was here (she’s from the USA, so it did make kind of sense for us to celebrate!). We went down to Sailor’s. It’s a bit expensive for what it is, but the location is great. At the time, it was about the only place in Sahl Hasheesh that had opened up.

We booked, but it turned out that we were the only people there, so safety worries were zero. The restaurant is on the beach and the moon was shining on the sea; it was pretty magical. Due to coronavirus, they’re using plastic knives and forks these days to avoid contact (the virus isn’t doing much for the planet in terms of reduction in plastic use!). The menu was also severely reduced, which isn’t surprising, given that we were the only customers. We all had beefburgers, although Sandy insisted on calling them hamburgers. For the sake of authenticity, perhaps I’ll concede for this one occasion. Anyway, the hamburgers were served in a polystyrene box rather than on a plate. So it was like having a McDonalds in a setting worthy of a Michelin-star restaurant! It was a fun evening and a stunning location.

The other time that I’ve eaten out fairly recently was for a birthday celebration (not mine!). A group of us went out to Bus Stop, which has only just opened again. The food at Bus Stop is pretty good and they seemed to be keeping a full menu. Again, we booked.

Well, at least, I went in to book the table and then realized they hadn’t asked me what time. Amanda volunteered to double-check the booking for me and they recognized her as Madam Fiona, saying that they knew about the booking because she’d been in the other day (but that was me! We look quite different – I’m brunette and she’s blonde – although we are about the same age, so maybe that’s enough). She asked for balloons to be tied to the table, which they said they’d happily do.

Anyway, as in Sailor’s, we got there and actually, since no-one else was there, we could have sat anywhere we liked (as we did, since none of the tables said they were reserved). However, this time, as the evening drew on, Bus Stop actually got quite busy. We were sitting outside, so from a safety perspective, we were fine. I had their steak, which is their signature dish. It was the usual great standard. About half-way through they remembered the balloons (or maybe they were reminded, I’m not sure). This is so typical of Egypt; it all come out okay in the end, but it’s never quite what you expect.

This time, we’d brought proper cutlery with us, but it wasn’t needed as they provided metal knives and forks (and  proper plates). It was another lovely evening; wonderful not to have to cook or wash up, great to socialize with friends, and a relaxed, convivial atmosphere.

Life is slowly starting to feel a bit more normal (famous last words…).