The buzz: Nana is lined with Middle Eastern restaurants, but what sets Arabesque apart is the owners’ vision for providing a finer dining experience amid the crazy nightlife. With a relatively spacious outdoor dining area and ornate décor, the aim is to attract business execs and families. And since one of the owners is the GM of a four-star hotel, he’s pretty strict about the cleanliness of the kitchen, which is something that can’t be said of your typical Nana eatery.
The décor: As the name suggests, the restaurant’s interior is decorated in arabesque patterns: the doors, windows, mirrors, seats and pillars all bear Islamic-style details. The dimly-lit interior is split between a dining area and a bazaar of sorts where they sell some Egyptian dresses, furniture and knick-knacks. The paved front yard, however, is a nice space in which to sit back, eat and smoke shisha, beside the large pizza oven that remains from the restaurant’s previous incarnation.
The food: Authentic Egyptian cuisine. Start with the local version of tapas, a mixed mezze platter (green salad, muttabal, baba ghanoush, hummus and tahini, B250), or the equally popular mixed mahshi platter (grape leaves, zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes and green peppers stuffed with rice and herbs, B250). And what would an Egyptian restaurant be without a healthy range of tajine? Try the recommended chicken option, a stew served with rice and keshk sauce (B220). For something even heavier look no further than the mixed grill which includes shish kebab, kofta and chicken served with French fries (B290). Arabesque also puts on a Saturday dinner buffet (B650) with belly dancing, but you’ll need to call ahead to check on availability.
The drinks: Egyptian favorites like sobia (coconut with milk and cereal, B100), tamr hendi (tamarind juice, B80) and labban (Egyptian yoghurt, B230). Beers are Chang (B69), Singha and Heineken (B100).
The crowd: Tourists wandering around Nana and Egyptian expats, including a number of diplomats who count among the regular customers. Pieng-or Mongkolkumnuankhet