Despite the popular rhetoric revolving around the desire to leave town, get the hell out of here and move to a civilised country where being mugged is considered a crime worth addressing and girls can wear shorts in 35 degree weather, Cairo continues to witness those still willing to invest, and thankfully so. Over in Zamalek, Bubblicious is the latest venture to pique our interest.
Just off Ismail Mohamed Street, down a smaller street across from Five Bells, Bubblicious is best described as quaint. A simple white exterior with old fashioned lamp post fixtures easily stands out from the otherwise shabby looking surroundings. The interior is small, and equally white, with a few round tables and a counter to sit at. A large ordering counter faces the entrance and offers speckles of colour with jars filled with bubble tea flavours.
Boasting the fact that it is the first bubble tea shop in Cairo, naturally, we had to try some. The process comes with simple, laid out steps. First, decide whether it’s hot or cold; then whether it will be with black tea or green tea; add a flavour, such as strawberry, green apple or lychee; and finally, pick the chewy balls that ultimately make it ‘bubble’ tea. A cold green tea with peach flavour and gummy tapioca pearls (19LE) proved to be an enjoyable blend. Not too heavy on the sugar, the drink is light and fresh; perfect for a pick me up on a warm morning.
The breakfast menu is quite the feast. Scrambled eggs, omelettes and eggs Benedict range between 10LE and 24LE, while waffles are available in both sweet and savoury options; the smoked salmon waffle with lemon sauce is the most expensive at 33LE. French toast and pancakes are another way to start your day, however if you’re looking for more of a midday snack, pizza and sandwiches are also on the menu.
The Cajun omelette (22LE) comes with spicy sausages, mushrooms, green chilli peppers and onions and is served with a toasted bun. Using all fresh ingredients, the omelette was perfectly cooked and endlessly delicious. The side of cheese (4LE) that included cottage cheese and cheddar cheese was a nice addition to the meal.
The aroma of cinnamon immediately locked us into the classic French toast (12LE). Made with thickly cut toast dipped in a generous amount of egg batter, the portion isn’t that big, but the flavours make up for it by being wholesome and hearty, with just the right amount of sweetness.
While both the omelette and the toast were highly gratifying, our personal favourite would have to be the blueberry pancakes (15LE). Stuffed with fresh blueberries, the pancakes were fluffy yet firm, and robust with both sweet and sour flavours melding together in a single bite.
The service is amicable and with an open kitchen you can watch the chef as he prepares your order. The prices are quite reasonable, and with quality food served in a very pleasant environment, we predict Bubblicious will be doing just fine in the future.
Cairo 360 Rating
User Rating
6A, Ismail Mohamed St., Across from Five Bells
Zamalek, Cairo, Egypt.
Zamalek, Cairo, Egypt.
Address
Coffee Places, Bakeries & Patisseries
Type
01223399909
Telephone
Bubblicious: Breakfast & Bubble Tea in Zamalek
Published On:
19/09/2012
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Near By
The recently
renovated and reopened Einstein Café in Zamalek has had a minor facelift; and
is now back and ready to serve you. Yet
another coffee chain in Cairo’s
plethora of seemingly endless international brands, Einstein is actually a pleasant
option if you’re sick of the Costas and the Cilantros. Founded in Berlin
in 1988, ’Einstein has made its reputation as a place where creative, talented
and art lover [sic] people can meet and sprite [sic] themselves, while enjoying
the very special cup of coffee which is the art of Einstein,’ says its menu. Well, we’re not sure whether people were
‘spriting’ themselves when we were there; but it did seem like a cool place to
hang out. Modern, clean, and
inviting, the café is as nice as any of the other major chains, but perhaps a
tad less pretentious. The staff is always friendly, smiling and eager; and
there’s plenty of varied seating, such as comfy armchairs to host just you and
a friend, long benches for a whole group, or a space at the window-side bar for
you and your laptop. Free wireless internet
means the place is full of people studying or working. Flat-screen TVs also
attract football fanatics; so the small place can get rather packed. Usually the buzz lies somewhere in between,
with a few students working and Melody Hits playing on TV. Besides coffees
and a variety of really good fresh juices, Einstein also offers iced drinks,
cocktails, salads, sandwiches, and an assortment of desserts. We chose to sample their chocolate
lava dessert and a classic glazed donut to accompany our tangy fresh orange and
strawberry juices. Well, the lava
cake was all yummy gooeyness in the centre, but the outer layer didn’t taste
quite so fresh. And the glazed donut could
also have fared better; as it had a strangely soapy aftertaste. We concluded that their pastries probably
look better in the pastry display case. Two juices, a doughnut and the chocolate dessert added up to 50LE for the two of us. Open till 1AM and
carrying a good magazine selection, Einstein is a low-key place to chill in for an
evening before heading home. Just watch
out for the gang of rowdy boys outside that make Hardees a popular hangout.
Related Review
After a hard day's work, there’s often nothing better than putting your feet up and relaxing with a hot drink and a slice of cake. Of course, Cairo’ cafés are second to none, but finding a sophisticated spot, not filled with shisha smoke, can often be somewhat of a challenge. The Coffee Club is amongst an abundance of dining options in newest Tivoli Dome in Sheikh Zayed.
As soon as we entered the dome, we spotted the tranquil fountains and greenery bordering the Coffee Club’s comfortable outdoor seating. The entire front of the café opens up to allow a breeze in, whilst the interior is simple, painted in a timeless deep red and cream. The waiter promptly delivered a couple of menus and much to our surprise, the Coffee Club is not just limited to coffee as its name suggests.
Of course, the coffee and frappe sections are the most diverse; with the options of adding syrups, extra shots, marshmallows, ice-cream and swapping caffeinated to decaffeinated. Flavoured tea, fruit juices, mocktails and all the usual sodas are also available. We settled on one flat white coffee (18LE) and an orange juice (20LE). Both were delivered swiftly, with the flat white sporting an artistic illustration on top of its thin layer of froth. The coffee beans were rich and slightly bitter, made with a good amount of milk. The orange juice was fresh, tangy and bitty, making for a rather sharp thirst quencher.
The food menu was unexpectedly large offering breakfasts of pancakes (25LE), breakfast wraps (32LE), cooked breakfasts (46LE) and fruit salads (20LE) whereas the all day dining menu boasts salads, sandwiches, burgers, pasta, fish and chips (55LE) surf and turf (99LE), fish and meat dishes including steak (99LE). Also on the menu – and a little out of place – is a selection of Thai dishes, namely curries. We chose to sample cheesy garlic bread (19LE), followed by sweet and sour chicken (75LE).
Both portions were substantial; the garlic bread was made from two slices of thick, soft bread, cut into four large triangles and appeared slightly golden on top. The four-cheese topping added a delicious richness, despite being slightly greasy. Our sweet and sour fried chicken pieces were swimming in a flavourful sauce, which although was not overly wonderful, was neither too sweet nor too sour. The generous mound of white rice in the middle was fluffy and well-cooked.
Their desserts don’t feature on the menu; they must be handpicked from the large glass counter inside the café. From the tempting looking cheesecakes and chocolate mousses, we ended our meal with a big slice of carrot cake (23LE). Unfortunately, the sponge was dry, with a disappointingly thin layer of butter icing on top, and in the middle. The large helping of chantilly cream on the side almost helped curb our disappointment.
Our overall experience was one of relaxation, nice food and friendly service; however, the Coffee Club does over-complicate the notion of coffee and dessert and although we're glad it does, we feel like they would benefit from concentrating more on their 'signature' desserts.
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