Rocks: Grills & Oriental Dishes in Maadi

Restaurants

Rocks

- 14/02/2013

Rocks: Grills & Oriental Dishes in Maadi

Rd 263, New Maadi
Burgers
01270644461

reviewed by

Alicia Yassin

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Rocks: Grills & Oriental Dishes in Maadi

Having taken over a typical Maadi villa in New Maadi, Rocks serves American BBQ and Oriental grill, while boasting healthy salads and a ‘specialised Italian corner’ as part of its menu. Making our way over in the afternoon, looking forward to an outdoor meal in their garden, sadly, Rocks failed to take advantage of its potentially fantastic location.

Although the space would be sentimental to anyone who grew up in Maadi, the layout also came off as a little underwhelming. The garden set up lacks finesse and unfortunately for them, by 3:30PM there was no direct sun. Settling onto the only table with a slight ray of light, we focused on the extensive menu at hand.

Among the soups, salads, appetisers, grills, main courses and pastas, we settled on a cream of mushroom soup (19LE), ruccola salad (27LE) and chilli cheese fries (25LE) to commence our meal. The soup was the first to arrive and was adequate but a little on the creamy side. Although we were literally the only people in the restaurant, it took forever for the salad and chilli fries to arrive – to the extent that we needed to ask of their status.

When they did arrive, the salad was robust, with fresh mushrooms, although the ruccola was sparse and regular lettuce filled most of the bowl. The simplicity of the salad left no justification as to why it took so long to serve either. The chilli cheese fries were more of a meal than an appetiser and though the minced meat was full of taste, it lacked any beans and while the melted cheese was satisfactory, the added paprika was unnecessary.

Another dish that suffered due an unnecessary use of paprika was the grilled shrimp sandwich (39LE). Served in balady bread with ruccola and tehina, the paprika was as a thorn in the flavours. Despite that, the shrimp were fresh, even though the sandwich, overall, was a bit dry. The French fries on the side were crunchy and enjoyable, but sadly doused in even more paprika.

The grilled boneless chicken (55LE), served with basmati rice and grilled vegetables, was well cooked and tender to the bite; although by no means spectacular, it was enjoyable nonetheless.

The portions at Rocks are, in true Egptian style, rather large so you’ll need to eat strategically if you fancy trying the restaurant’s desserts. Options include such treats as pumpkin cheese cake (24LE), which sounded most intriguing.

The service at Rocks is pleasant, though extremely slow. The soup was served at least twenty minutes before the appetisers, making for a bit of a haphazard meal.

Rocks serves fresh ingredients in a relaxed outdoor space. So if you’re looking for a lengthy meal and are not in a hurry, this could be a good spot to spend a Saturday afternoon. However, be sure to ask for your dishes sans paprika if you are not a fan of the spice.