Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Seasons change, yet what never changes is the passion for seafood in Alexandria. Whether visitors or locals, both are equally fond of the culinary expertise of this Mediterranean city.
Alexandria, the city of Alexander the Great, took various forms throughout history. Being the capital of Egypt during the time of Ptolemy to one of the most important trade capitals years later, it never lost its identity as a Mediterranean city.
“Then, as now, she belonged not so much to Egypt as to the Mediterranean,” described English novelist EM Forster when he visited Alexandria in the 1960s, and later he would write a book about it, Alexandria: A History and a Guide.
At Four Seasons Hotel Alexandria at San Stefano, Executive Chef Wael Essam, a local Alexandrian and well known as “The Expert of Infusion,” loves to mix ingredients and techniques to present creative and tasty inventions on his plates. With a pinch of French cuisine, the freshness of Italy and the local flavours of the sea, the kitchen becomes an authentic world of taste, aromas and art.
Besides cooking, Wael’s hobby is fishing, so it will be no surprise to find him during his weekend socialising and fishing by the Hotel’s shore. “As an Alexandrian, we are brought up to fish by the corniche all year long. We know the secrets of seafood very well and we can’t stop bragging about it. As a chef, I love to use local ingredients to create authentic culinary experience for our guests.”
This November, Wael brings his creativity at Kala Restaurant to a new dinner menu. Guests will find the ideal delicacies of international seafood cuisine and the local freshness from the sea combined to entice the taste buds. Whether it’s a ceviche from Spain and a crudo from Italy, or Chef Wael’s creation introducing for the first time the salt crusted fish as the star of the menu.
As a true Alexandrian, a seafood menu can never be complete without an open face singari cooked in the oven with a secret mix of spices and fresh herbs. Guests will also have a display with the freshest catch of the day to order by grams and the preferred method of cooking. Alexandria seafood cuisine is well known for the grilled shrimp butterfly, seafood tajines and the famous sayadia rice – meaning the “fishermen’s rice” – cooked with caramelised onion and spices.
For wine lovers, a selection of the finest wine and champagne will also be available depending on the selected fish or seafood.
Kala Restaurant (“good” in Greek) is located on the third floor of Four Seasons Hotel Alexandria at San Stefano.
Taste of the Sea
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