| You’re smokin’ in it! >> Café Ramses is a South Shore sheesha secret Amidst the hideousness of Taschereau Boulevard, an endless stretch of strip malls, parking lots and lame restaurants, Café Ramses is delightfully out of place. Located in a lowrise shopping complex, it doesn’t look like much from the outside—but once you get through the door, an oasis of Egyptian exotica awaits. Sheeshas are the big attraction here, elaborate glass and brass pipes filled with water and aromatized tobacco ($6.10). They come in all sorts of flavours, including apple, honey, mint, grape, melon, pistachio, black licorice, cappuccino and fakhfakhina, a mix of exotic fruit and whipped cream. Also known as hookahs, they originated in Turkey more than five centuries ago, although the most memorable image of one is probably at the hands of the caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland. Still popular in the Arab world, they have a relaxing buzz and make a great accompaniment for conversation and a cup of tea. On a recent Wednesday night, the café was packed with bong-smoking youths, curled up in armchairs or lounging on leather cushions. It seems to have become the place to go on the South Shore, and there’s now a full-time sheesha guy on site just to prepare the pipes. He gave us a quick demo of how it works. First of all, the flavours come from this weird, vaguely gelatinous mixture of jam, molasses and tobacco (apparently, the amounts of tar and nicotine are quite minimal). This stuff goes into a funnel that’s plugged in at the top of the contraption, and covered with a layer of tinfoil. Holes are pricked in the tinfoil, and then a hot, glowing charcoal disc is placed at the very top. When you suck through the tube, the water bubbles and filters the smoke to make it cool and smooth. We inhaled some apricot, which created a refreshing, fruity mist. Café Ramses also serves drinks and light meals. For $3.50, you can get stuffed vine leaves, baba ganoush or hummus, served with a thick coating of delicious olive oil. One of the best snacks on offer is definitely the bruschetta Oriental, a round of toasted pita slathered with a coating of yogurt, cilantro and fresh jalapeños. It’s topped with a salsa of extra-fresh tomatoes dotted with garlic and herbs. The hot peppers give it a real kick, and the creamy layer adds interest to the flavour. Very yummy at $4.50. The
hamburgers here are quite satisfying, though they have less foreign
flair ($7.95). The mountain burger is adorned with Swiss cheese, grilled
onions and mushrooms; the Middle Eastern burger is a grilled chicken
breast, topped with more of that Oriental yogurt-jalapeño sauce.
They come with a serving of dark, meaty fries that are excellent dipped
in paprika-dusted mayo. A cream cheese and salmon version is also available,
as well as a merguez sandwich. Café
Ramses is a fantastic blend of faraway and funky, and is worth a visit—it
may be a drive from downtown, but it’s way closer than Cairo.
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