As you walk down Road 9 in Maadi in the middle of the day, you are inundated with honking from cars trapped by double parkers, shouts from street valets and vendors, and music coming out of the cafes that litter the sidewalks.
What often goes unnoticed is the entrance to Kiwi ― a restaurant guarded by two little bushes straight out of the Queen of Hearts' garden in Alice in Wonderland juxtaposed against an orange doorway adorned with a white logo. The interior of Kiwi is dark and a passerby might even doubt the place is open. Even an adventurous potential client who steps in might doubt the place is open. It’s Wednesday, 1 pm and the restaurant is empty, with Quranic verses drifting down from the sound system.
Apparently, Kiwi was once the place to be ― constantly packed and bustling after its opening. This is no longer the case.
A middle-aged gentleman in a leather jacket and a cap comes by to give me a menu and take my order. I’m doubtful it’s a waiter ― it could be the owner ― but all-in-all the whole ordeal is a little shady. With the place to myself, I choose a spot facing out onto Road 9 and am amused by the occasional curious glance by pedestrians on the street.
The menu is extensive: sandwiches, salads, pizza, pasta and four pages of drinks (including non-alcoholic). I order an iced tea, which comes flavorless in a glass taller than my computer. The tomato soup is nothing special; it could have been out of a packet. The waiter does bring a salt and pepper shaker right next to my table though, so Kiwi does have that home-like feel.
The place mat next to me reads: “The Kiwi is a tiny bird that can’t fly.” As house music begins to be played quite loudly, I’m starting to feel like the first arrival at a very large dinner party table ― small and exposed.
When this spot was recommended to me, I was told to try the Auckland salad. And I do, despite a bit of surprise over the LE41 price tag. But once the salad arrives, the price makes sense. The bowl contains lettuce, arugula, peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes, and is topped with an entire main course of enormous sauteed mushrooms and soya sauce-seared pieces of chicken. There is also a generous helping of whole olives ― not pitted ― which could have easily been served on a separate plate had this meal been properly divided into a side, salad and main course.
The Auckland salad is tasty. The mushrooms and chicken can be eaten on their own but the vegetables, in my humble opinion, require the zing of the Thousand Island dressing that accompany them.
I wouldn’t recommend Kiwi but I do have a couple recommendations for it. Brighten up a bit ― open your doors ― and get some friends to come hang out for ambience, if nothing else. Otherwise, if you’re hungry on Road 9 in Maadi, there are a plethora of better and cheaper eateries to choose from.
