Flying Fish: Charming Seafood Restaurant in Agouza

If ever there was question whether Cairo seafood was up to par, or comparable to that of the North Coast or the Red Sea, one spoonful of glorious Flying Fish soup banishes all doubt. The chunky, richly flavourful stew had us moaning with delight, wishing for neighbouring real estate, and wondering how we would make room for the courses to come. Flying Fish is located on a lonely stretch of El Nil Street in Agouza, without any neighbours (alas!) and looking highly suspect. However, those in the know have been coming back to this Cairo institution for years, ignoring the nondescript exterior and neon sign for the refined service and brick, brass and leather undersea motif that’s half 1930s smoking room, half art deco.   Definitely a rarity, this restaurant even has its own live crooner, belting out smooth classics in Arabic, and now makes our list of places to come back to as well. The waiter wasn’t rattled at all when we pestered him to fill in all the details that the menu didn’t, and he courteously described all the dishes until we settled on the amazing Flying Fish soup (20LE), raw oysters and grilled oysters with celery and garlic (normally 30LE for twelve of either, he kindly offered us six of each), a fantastic green salad (6LE), and one main of grilled fish fillet (27LE) with a side of browned rice (5LE). The already celebrated Flying Fish soup comes in a heavenly, parsley-infused broth with a plethora of succulent fish, shrimps, calamari and the like. Easily a meal on its own, it’s the perfect antidote for a grey day, and quite possibly cures all manner of illness as well (or so we’d like to believe).  Stay away from the raw oysters if you like yours small and delicate; as the Egyptian variety comes large, muscular, and with its last meal of various sea foliage intact. That’s not to say they aren’t still fresh and tasty. However, the grilled ones make for a nice appetiser, with the flavours of celery and garlic masking any remnants of fish and easing the minds of anyone wary of raw meat. The green salad was a nice portion of refreshing vegetables with a light dressing of lemon juice; a welcome tangy balance for all the fish. The browned rice too made for a good side dish to the platters of seafood that was basic but filling. The grilled fish fillet came in two slabs of thick fish, and it was fresh and tender except for the side that they had been grilled on, which was a bit charred and tough. Next time, we’ll try the whole grilled fish, in hopes that the skin will preserve the meat and keep it soft. Not satisfied with just one dessert, we sampled both the black forest cake (10LE) and the chocolate mousse (10LE). The cake was a bit stale and slightly dry, but still decadent with nuts. The mousse was less of a mousse and more of a giant truffle made to go straight to the heart; but a few spoonfuls are all you need to finish off a great meal.

Good seafood restaurants in Cairo are hard to find, particularly ones so close to one of the Seven Wonders of the World; the Great Pyramids of Giza. Making the most of their proximity and, as a result, their incredible pyramid view, Caviar boasts full length windows across its entire front side making it a tempting tourist trap.

The décor is typically Egyptian; golden hieroglyphics and scenes of ancient times are spread across one wall, whilst vintage photographs of Egypt are pasted onto several rectangular pillars. Dark marble surfaces and green foliage add to the old-fashioned feel of the restaurant.

Being the only couple amongst two large parties of tourists, we were given a choice of tables but were soon forgotten about. We reminded the waiter that we needed some menus before scouring their wide variety of seafood dishes; seafood soups (30LE), hot and cold appetisers (35LE-50LE), salads (40-45LE), fish fillets, pastas (55LE-65LE) and risottos (35LE-45LE).

The drinks menu is small but adequate, boasting fresh juices (20LE), smoothies (20-25LE), sodas (15LE) and a selection of hot drinks (15LE). We indulged in one Florida smoothie (25LE) and a non-alcoholic mojito (20LE). Both were deliciously fresh; the Florida smoothie was thick with large, real fruit pieces, whilst the mojito was sweet and smooth but lacked any sort of soda, essentially turning it into a standard lemon and mint juice.

To start, we opted for some shrimp fingers with a cocktail dip (35LE) before moving onto a shrimp risotto (40LE) and Cotoletta bolognese fillet (80LE).
We wouldn’t have minded about the long wait that we endured had we been given a bread basket or even a bottle of water to help pass the time.  After we requested a large bottle of mineral water (20LE), the waiter simply placed it on the table, unopened.

All the food eventually appeared together, with the shrimp fingers arriving without any cocktail sauce. After reminding the staff,  the sauce soon materialised, but was instead a creamy, delectable tartar dip; a switch we didn’t mind too much.

The shrimp fingers looked a little like kofta but were much softer, spongy and on the tasty side of interesting. The risotto was the best of the dishes with al dante, sticky rice, rolled in a flavourful tomato sauce with a subtle, shrimp aftertaste. Unfortunately though, we only found four small shrimp in the entire serving.

The Cotoletta bolognese fillet turned out to be several pieces of deep-fried battered fish, topped with a tiny amount of melted mozzarella and far too many sesame seeds. Despite the fish itself having a melt in the mouth texture, the batter was soggy and the whole thing tasted of little else other than oil. It was served with a side of chewy calamari and undercooked mushrooms in a tasteless white sauce.  

Other than being so close to the Great Pyramids that you can almost touch them,  our visit didn't yield value for money in terms of either the service or food. They've got their juices and risottos just about right though.