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IL Piccolo Mondo
Zamalek, Al Jizah, EgyptAbout
Since launching in 1992, Le Pacha 1901 boat has firmly cemented itself in Cairo society as the dependably swanky restaurant boat. With L'Asiatique, Le Steak and Johnny's Pub on board, Le Pacha is the kind of boat that you take your in-laws, your boss or your high-maintenance girlfriend to when you're desperate to impress. Awarded the 2004 Superbrand prize for best five-star restaurant, you'd think that all of Le Pacha's restaurants will guarantee a formidable dining experience. Right Wrong. Il Piccolo Mondo is Le Pacha's Italian restaurant, and in Cairo 360's opinion, the least impressive of the boat's restaurants. Gaily decorated to imitate the Piazza San Carlo in Italy, or so the restaurant's website claims, Il Piccolo Mondo tries hard (but not hard enough) to give us an authentic Italian culinary experience. Tables are spread out under the stone archways and panelled ceilings, while the window-side tables offer a spectacular Nile view. The beef carpaccio appetiser (55.90LE) was disappointing: hiding between a layer of parmesan cheese and arugula, the meat needed pepper, olive oil, salt and more pepper to have a remotely detectable flavour. A complimentary basket of different breads accompanied an olive dip. The bread was unfortunately stale, though the olive dip wasn't too bad. The main course of risotto spinaci (65.50LE) had a measly portion of shrimp and the spinach was the packaged and minced kind, not the fresh kind. Again, the risotto lacked any detectable flavour. After we added salt, pepper and butter, it was edible; but we might as well have made it ourselves. The risotto was served onto our plate straight from the sizzling saucepan to make it a more authentic experience, but it backfired; since the waiter had to awkwardly scrape the shabby saucepan with an equally shabby spoon. The filletto funghi (79.90LE) was a tasty and well-cooked beef fillet served with a side of grilled vegetables and mushroom sauce. For such a price and for such a reputable establishment, you'd expect the mushrooms to be fresh, but instead they were evidently the canned type, and the sauce strongly smelled of magi cubes; it wasn't made from scratch as we had hoped. Dessert was our last attempt to let the restaurant impress us. The chocolate mousse (15.90LE) had an appropriately thick consistency with a slight hint of brandy, but it didn't taste quite fresh or right; and we declared defeat two spoonfuls in. Service was completely sporadic: at one point, we had to practically flag a waiter down; at another we had three waiters almost fighting over who got to clear up our dishes. At 320LE for a dinner for two, including soft drinks, the restaurant left us frustrated and disappointed. There are so many good Italian restaurants in Cairo; it's a pity that such a reputable establishment left us desperate for cheaper, better alternatives.
