Chinoix Chic

BY

-

Wed, 19 Nov 2014 - 11:00 GMT

BY

Wed, 19 Nov 2014 - 11:00 GMT

The Renaissance Mirage City Hotel’s Chinese venue makes Asian elegant
 
By Noha Mohammed
  1411 ET FT 21/10/2014 Courtesy of Renaissance Cairo Mirage City HotelMany diners find five-star hotel restaurant spaces rather cloying — but walking into the lobby of the Renaissance Mirage City Hotel in New Cairo, the impression is anything but overbearing. The décor of the small entrance hall is decidedly modern, but the warm lighting and elegantly understated accents take the edge off the minimalist atmosphere and create an inviting feel. Chinoix is right off the lobby, but your eyes will need to adjust for a few seconds to the dim lighting before taking in the deep reds and carved wood partitions of the furnishings. The atmosphere is classic Chinese, and the interior decorator has obviously paid much detail to unifying the elements, right down to the wooden chopsticks, with a glint of red at their tips. Though it was a week night, the restaurant was doing brisk business, with many of the tables already seated. Chinoix is clearly popular on this side of town and all of the clientele, save a table or two, were non-Egyptian. Adjacent to the main dining space is a less formal bar area and off to one side is a little private dining room featuring just one elegantly furnished table for special occasions. Since I have always had a weakness for sweets, whenever I open a menu I turn first to the dessert section — so I can deliberate which high note I’d be ending my meal on. I picked up the elegantly bound Chinoix menu running my fingers over the handsome wood embossing on the cover and flipped to the desserts where my eye fell on a surprisingly non-typical offering that I immediately decided was going to be my choice: the green tea tiramisu. With promises of creamy delights to come, we asked the maitre d’ to walk us through the starters. My partner was recommended the hot and sour bean curd soup (LE 55) ahead of our shared dim sum basket (LE 120) while I chose the deep-fried scallops. The dim sum basket featured three samplings: shrimp, scallop shad mai and vegetable with XO (fish), soy and garlic-chili sauces for dipping. The delicately spiced shredded vegetables won hands down over the other two stuffings when it came to flavor, but the steamed pastry was just right, neither too greasy nor floury. Likewise the fluffy batter encasing the scallops added a light crunch to the seafood morsels that otherwise could have benefited from a little more kick. 1411 ET FT21/10/2014Courtesy of Renaissance Cairo Mirage City HotelIt wasn’t long before our entrees arrived. Since I had my heart set on a fairly adventurous dessert, I decided to go for something safe for my main course and picked out the stir-fried prawns with pineapple (LE 175). As a side I chose the boiled noodles with stewed beef and broth (LE 38). My friend ordered the sautéed Angus beef tenderloin with asparagus and mint (LE 210) and the sautéed seasonal vegetables (LE 38). Portions are quite large and neither of us were able to polish off our entrees. My battered prawns arrived doused in a sweet and sour sauce which did not overpower and which worked well with the sweet colored pepper and pineapple medley featured in the dish. The Angus beef turned out to be tender slices of meat tossed with asparagus in a dark mint-infused sauce. The vegetables included juicy fresh mushrooms, unfortunately translated as ‘fungus’ on the menu, regrettable since it could deter other diners from choosing any of the ‘fungus’ dishes. By that time we were full enough to skip dessert, but I couldn’t bring myself to not order the chilled tiramisu (LE 50). And when the Chinese chef came out of the kitchen to chat and tell us a little about the sweets we were easily won over. Upon his advice we skipped the crispy custard egg tart Hong Kong style (LE 50) and went for the candied banana toffee with ice cream (LE 50). Neither disappointed, though both were far too big for one person. The tiramisu was creamy, light and fluffy, sitting atop a thin layer of soaked cake while the candied bananas were lightly battered and fried and topped with a tower of caramelized toffee. Service is warm and inviting, and the eager waiters are helpful but not obtrusive. et Chinoix • Renaissance Mirage City Hotel • Open 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to midnight • Tel: (02) 241-15588

Comments

0

Leave a Comment

Be Social