Part of the adventure of exploring the new pasta bar in town is finding it. Tucked away in a small alley off Aziz Osman Street, off 26th of July Street, Mezza Luna is worth the search. If you spot the tables resting on the small terrace squeezed between two buildings then you ve hit the culinary jackpot.
The quaint, tiny – or cozy if you re feeling especially generous – bistro-style restaurant sends out a warm welcome. The casual atmosphere omits subliminal signals to your body and mind to relax and let loose (which is slightly contradictory given its seating options aren t terribly comfortable).
If you feel like dining al fresco, grab one of the tables outdoors – the street is quiet enough so you won t be irked by the noise pollution that is endemic of our beloved city.
If you plan to eat and run there s a large communal high table on the first floor. But, if like me, you re planning to emulate the Italian dining experience – a prolonged meal interrupted only by good conversation – then head upstairs.
For pasta lovers, the menu is the equivalent of unleashing a kid in a candy shop unsupervised: a selection of fresh pasta, ravioli, gnocchi in all sorts of sauces. So while you’re making the tough decision, graze on an appetizer. Try the Bruschetta – toasted bread with garlic, a scraping of fresh basil pesto, topped with chopped tomatoes, and sprinkled with olive oil. Just the things to kick start your appetite.
If you want to stave off the chilly evening, go for the Suppa di Cavolfiore, a cream of cauliflower soup with small raviolis stuffed with broccoli and cheese bobbing in the thick soup. It’s filling, but worth it. If you prefer to start with a salad, the Insalata Mezzaluna comes highly recommended, fresh greens topped with the classic combo of blue cheese and caramelized walnuts.
The twist comes in the fried mini raviolis bursting with blue cheese and figs. The dressing is a tad too garlicky, which can overpower the otherwise delicious blend of ingredients.
First-time visitors to Mezza Luna should try the gnocchi – potato dumplings – or the ravioli. Avoid the Quatro Fromaggi (four cheese sauce) because the heavy sauce will overshadow the pasta. Instead, try the Pomadoro e Basilico (tomato and basil), Puttanesca (spicy tomato with olives and capers), or the Boscaiola (mushroom and tomato) starring the delicate tomato sauce infused with fragrant basil, a more traditional accompaniment for the succulent gnocchi.
The ravioli dishes are just as alluring. Le Budapest, spicy beef sausage in creamy goulash sauce, and Le Curnonski, veal and roast pepper ravioli in mushroom tomato sauce, are favorites. The ravioli are tasty, and the tomato sauces compliment rather than compete with the fillings. But if you’re a more adventurous epicurean, there’s a choice of Le Batarekh – smoked cod roe ravioli in lemon roast garlic sauce – and Illy Café – beef bacon, red cabbage, cream and coffee. Of course, you can always save them for your next visits.
The dessert was the only disappointment of the evening. The Tiramisu lacked the subtlety of the rest of the meal, slightly dry with more cocoa than necessary. The Panna Cotta was good enough, but paled in comparison to the strawberry coulis that swirled around the pudding.
And I’m still not sure why the Konafa bel Jeben is part of the menu, except that the reaction to the waiter’s suggestion was a unanimous “Huh? from the diners.
Reluctant to leave the warm atmosphere, we continued our conversation over good coffee. The waiters, it seemed, were used to lingering guests and only made us feel more welcome. The only regret was the lack of a glass of good wine – the restaurant does not serve alcohol. On the upside it meant that a lengthy, three-course meal cost about LE 60 per person. Quite reasonable given that the chef was not cutting corners on his ingredients – which would have otherwise been glaringly obvious in such simple pasta dishes. This meant that we good give the waiters a much-deserved fat tip.
We all agreed that we’d pay Mezza Luna another visit. The pasta bar is open from 7 am (breakfast is served until 11), so the only argument was not when we’d come again, but for which meal: breakfast, lunch or dinner?
Mezza Luna, Prodotti Italiani118, 26th of July St./Aziz Osman St.Zamalek, CairoTel: (02) 7352655
