A Day in the Life of a Gouna Restaurant

With the proliferation of restaurants in El Gouna and the plans for more to come, in the downtown area, Gouna News wondered what is it really like to run a restaurant in El Gouna. 

For this we went to the indomitable Lialina Gallo, owner and operator of Pasta e Basta, the Italian Restaurant in Kafr El Gouna. 

We discovered that Lialina was driven by a desire to renew the Kafr area. It needed a facelift. So she endeavored to redo two pathways, paint walls and design her restaurant over a misused area alongside the canal running through downtown.

Lialina decorated her restaurant in cheerful bohemian colors. Then hired Luisa, an Arabic speaking, Italian Chef, as a consultant. They set up separate, but connected, areas for the kitchen, the washing up and the workshop. 

A typical day for Pasta e Basta would see a slow start in the morning when staff arrive, usually at around 10am. The chefs will purchase within El Gouna fresh produce, vegetables, salad and fruit. Quantities vary based on day of the week and holidays.  Meanwhile, Giovanni, Lialina’s husband and an ex chef himself, will drive to Hurghada to purchase fresh fish, baby calamari and vongole (clams).  His butcher contact in Hurghada might have called him to announce arrival of, hard to come by, and invariably expensive, filet. Giovanni will pass by the butcher to pick that up as well. 

Luisa arrives around 1:30 pm and does an inspection of the kitchen, workshop and surroundings: fridges, ovens, tabletops, drawers, floors, etc.. Concurrently, Nady Salama  restaurant manager since 1996 in El Gouna, inspects staff haircuts, nails and hygiene. Caps and uniforms in the kitchen are mandatory.  Checks on seating areas and washrooms are performed. With washrooms being cleaned seven times a day.
  

Luisa will then invariably work with one or more chefs in the workshop area, training them on Pasta making and preparation, manually. No machines are involved. She will make the pasta then supervise, as more is made to satisfy the day’s requirements.

Spaghetti, focaccia, pizzette and bread are made daily on the premises, while fresh bacon, parmigiano  and pecorino are brought from Italy direct via friends arriving, or trips to Italy by the owners. In some cases, when the equipment to prepare the pasta is not available, such as the Penne extruder, then Barilla brand is used.  Italian Oil may be imported or alternatively, the local Katapta brand is used.  Ice cream is brought in from Il Gelato in the marina. 

Giovanni will arrive early afternoon at the restaurant, bringing any fresh purchases and do his own inspection. Sometimes he will prepare more exotic dishes to add to that days menu, such as Gnocchi Amatriciana or Cacio e Pepe. 

Lunch is served during this time but the restaurant is only ready to offer its full menu by 3pm. 

Diners come in, meals are served, tables are cleared and reset, some diners linger until closing between 11pm and midnight..... 

Pasta e Basta has gone through another day.