Jambalaya: Promising restaurant gets off to weak start

After weeks of mounting anticipation, Jambalaya — Cairo’s  first Spanish restaurant — opened its doors to eager visitors last Wednesday.

Located in Zamalek on Ahmed Heshmat, a secluded residential street, two wooden tables with chairs greet visitors at the entrance for those who appreciate a meal in the open air. The staircase to the upper floor is narrow and the railing is short, making for an uncomfortable climb up to the small  restaurant, which offers five tables and metal chairs. The walls are painted a very bright and almost painful tint of yellow (sunglasses are advised!), and overall, the décor is poor and feels rushed.

The menu has an oriental-Andalusian inspired design. Jambalaya offers eight kinds of tapas, including guacamole, which unfortunately was unavailable at the time of our visit. We opted to start with the camarones temaki, vine leaves stuffed with seasoned shrimps and risotto. The taste was unusual but flavorful; each bite leaves a pleasant herbal aftertaste, similar to dill but stronger and more aromatic.

Other cold tapas featured a fusion of oriental flavors with Spanish influences that was interesting, but not always successful. The hummus with chorizo sausages were flavorful, but the sausages left an aftertaste of lamb.  As for the calliente (hot) appetizers, the empanadas were a safe choice. Similar to sambousak, this Latin pastry is stuffed with seasoned meat or cheese, and served with a savory dip similar to thousand island dressing, but spiced up. The empanadas were rich in flavor, but the cheese-filled ones were better than the meat.

As for the main course, we were eager to indulge ourselves and went for two plates of paella. The jambalaya (paella mixta) tasted okay, but it could definitely have been juicier and saucier; the taste of tomato paste unfortunately prevailed, totally camouflaging the chicken and the chorizo sausages. But the arroz negro (black rice) was very tasty, rich in spices and with just the right mix of shrimps, calamari and clams.

After an interesting and satisfying meal, dessert seemed like a good idea. Unfortunately the crema catalana (crème brulée) was also unavailable, our second disappointment for the night.

The big surprise of our meal was the fresa limonada (strawberry lemonade). Served cold, the contrasting flavors of sweet strawberry and acerbic, zesty lemon created a perfect beverage —  unique, pleasant and refreshing.     

Although this eatery is the first in the capital to offer an all-Spanish menu, Jambalaya still has a long way to go in the art of mastering this cuisine. Other Cairo restaurants that offer international menus and little Spanish specialties, such as Picasso in Heliopolis and Florencia in Zamalek, are currently doing a better job. The idea of mixing Spanish and oriental influences is a good one, but it definitely needs to be done right to succeed.