Pastaweesy: Pasta & Rice Specialists in Haram

The quest for the best pizza in Cairo has become an obsession for this reviewer. In most restaurants and cafés around the city, you’ll invariably find a small, repellent pizza section on their menu, which invariably disappoints. Located in Haram on Faisal Street, Pizza Master is worth a visit, especially with their 2 for 1 policy, which brilliantly applies to everything on the menu. The shop is made of two floors, with the first being a small counter for ordering takeout, and a small waiting area. Taking the stairs to the top floor leads you to the actual restaurant area. The space is large and rarely crammed. The salad station is located in the middle of the space, and for 16LE you will get a decent-sized bowl to fill up to the heavens as you please; but only once. The selection is wide; you have the choice of everything from basics like cucumbers to the slightly more exotic kidney beans and pickled runner beans, in addition to a range of dressings and sauces. The menu is split into six pizza sections; beef, chicken, seafood, cheese lovers, hot and spicy and last but not least, margherita. The plain margherita costs 40LE for a large size, 32LE for a medium, and 18LE for small. The pizza is customisable with toppings for between 7LE and 12LE, depending on its size. This reviewer recommends any pizza under the cheese lovers section; the self proclaimed ‘delicious triple blend of cheese’ is indeed delicious as the review of the Nasr City branch decrees. The calorific combination of what we think is mozzarella, cheddar and roumi cheese is rich, creamy and sharp, especially on a deep-pan base. The hot and spicy menu is no nonsense, and there is no modesty when it comes to the use of chillies. Among the combinations that stand out, the spicy shrimp and spicy tuna pizzas set you back 46LE and 41LE respectively for a medium size.   If pizza dishes have chronically disappointed across Cairo, then the shocking quality of garlic bread has driven this reviewer to despair. Thankfully, Pizza Master has got it exactly right; the bread is fresh, and the garlic and butter are plenty. The plain garlic bread costs 5.50LE for three pieces, while the cheese and pepperoni versions cost 8.50LE and 9.50LE respectively. Soft drinks are available for 6LE, as well as freshly made juices (9LE), which change according to season. Pizza Maser’s strategy seems to be to pile on the ingredients. This works great with some pizzas, such as the cheese lovers’ choices, but the hot and spicy pizzas may be too much for some. Ingredients are fresh and flavoursome, but the dough still lacks, and sometimes less is more. The quest continues.

Unlike so many of the international hotels in Cairo, the Sofitel Cairo El Gezirah bucks the trend of its competitors’ inability to sustain quality and consistency in their food and beverage outlets. The hotel has it all, offering Cairenes options for nightlife in the form of Buddha Bar, one of the best swimming pool day-use options in the city, the extravegant So Spa, and even a swanky salon. These facilities, however, are just a prelude to the delights that await you at the hotel’s restaurants – namely, El Kebabgy.

Located right along the banks of the Nile, seating is predominantly assembled as an outdoor space, giving diners a pretty spectacular, if windy, view. The restaurant is often busy, so making reservations is highly recommended, lest you be left waiting beside the clay bread ovens and be teased by the wholesome aroma.

There’s nothing too complicated about dining at El Kebabgy; though the menu is pretty ample, you absolutely cannot visit this place and not go for the mixed grill (125LE). But we’re getting a bit ahead of ourselves.

No Oriental meal is complete without a spread of cold mezza (40LE) and El Kebabgy goes all out with hommos, tehina, baba ghanough, taboula, fattoush and spiced cheese, all with a bottomless basket of freshly made balady bread. Dipping at the fresh dishes makes for a great way to get the old enzymes going, though unfortunately, tomeya is not included and comes as a separate dish for 20LE. It is, however, in no uncertain terms, well worth the extra money; it’s the perfect accompaniment to the restaurant’s grilled meats.

Said grilled meats come sizzling on rather kitsch charcoal grills, where diners can continue the cooking process as they please. Chicken, kofta, kabab and lamb chops come as part of this magnificent package, and all are succulent, tender and full of flavour – just be weary of leaving it on the grill for too long. Outside of the mixed grill, the grilled veal liver (65LE) is an absolute must. If you can get the grilling right, you’re in for a treat; it comes in very generous portions and you’ll feel like you’re digging into a big meaty steak.

The only downside to our last visit was the service. Overwhelmed, slow and generally hateful of their lives, the staff members have a way of making you feel like you’ve offended them in some way; in a restaurant that feeds all the senses, it really does make a difference to the overall dining experience.

Thankfully, however, these shortcomings are not severe enough to diminish the crux of an evening of wining and dining at El Kebabgy; the food.