Al-Amin (also sometimes spelt El-Amen or Al-Amen)
Al-Amen (first floor)
This relatively new first floor restaurant is just off the Isis roundabout at the southern end of town, slightly up the road to the Jolie Ville.
The tables are well spaced and, although a little flimsy, are well disguised in fresh white and burgundy cloths. Chairs are solid with matching soft seat pads.
Al-Amen is open most of the day, for refreshments in the morning, lunch later on, through to evening meal. The evening meals are based on a four course set menu. Half-a-dozen egyptian set meal choices are between LE60 and LE65. The main course is the only one that is selectable. The other three courses are fixed. The first is soup of the day; the second is a variety of salads - which may be the kind of salad that 'western' menus might describe as a dip, served with local bread. The final course is a local dessert - typically a small pastry.
Al Amen restaurant
The first and main courses are a very good size and excellently presented. Our tagine was piping hot and sizzling; the meat plentiful and tender; served with both rice and chips. The salad course was filing more for the bread than the salad and the dessert course was really a token rather than a full course. Nevertheless, all courses overall were as much as we could manage.
The Tudor Rose restaurant at the St Joseph hotel also offers a fixed price four-course meal: theirs is LE50. Their four courses together are more substantial, especially the second and dessert courses. The variety is much, much better at Tudor Rose but we thought the quality was better at Al-Amen.
Another alternative would be to take à la carte choices at a lower cost restaurant such as King Tut. A soup and main course there would be a little less than the four courses at Al-Amen, but if you take the bread with the King Tut soup, skip Al-Amen's salad and ignore their small pastry, you would be eating about as much at King Tut but with a much wider choice, equally good presentation and food that is at least as good.
All in all, the 'four courses' for LE60 isn't quite as good as it sounds but for a change, and for filling first and main courses, it is one that could go on your list if you like to eat at a different restaurant each night.
Reviewed January 2012
Prices at January 2012
Web site: www.alamenrestaurant.com
Tel: (095) 55272822