The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

We love
it when new restaurants open up in Cairo or when old restaurants revamp their
interiors and menus. It means that we have to go over, eat and drink and then spread
the word to you (it’s an awful job, get us out of here). Tia Maria is a
restaurant that has been in business for a while but recently revamped. The
restaurant is located on Jeddah Street right next to Bull’s Eye Pub in
Mohandiseen. The white roman-style entrance is easily spotted.

Tia
Maria is a relatively small space, making it all the more cosy. The interior is
very dark because of the dark wood furniture and dim lighting. Most of the lighting
is provided by a rack of empty wine bottles with lights inside. We think this
would make a nice spot for a quiet date. Though Tia Maria claims to be a wine
bar as well, this reviewer found the wine selection a bit disappointing: there
was only local Sherazade, Cape Bay and Beau Soleil. However, as long as it
contains alcohol we are basically happy people.

The menu
is extremely extensive, making it a bit difficult to choose from. So instead,
we ordered the Tia Maria platter (56LE) to snack on while deciding about our
main course. Our table was served delicious garlic bread as soon as we sat
down. The platter has calamari, mozzarella sticks, chicken and mushrooms. The
calamari was some of the best we’d ever had in Cairo, although some pieces were
a bit on the greasy side. The mozzarella sticks were boring as always and we
still don’t understand why this appetiser is always on restaurant menus. The
chicken was good with crispy fried skin, but the absolute highlight was the
breaded and stuffed mushrooms, which were delicious and filled with what we
suspect to be garlic and cheese.

Since we
wanted to try it all, we then tried the meat mixed platter (80LE) and the fish
mixed platter (90LE). The meat mixed platter was a bit dull with skewers of chicken,
veal and beef on it. It came without any sauce, so although the meat was nicely
grilled and seasoned, it was too dry on its own. Our side order of pepper sauce
came within five minutes, though; so all was quickly forgiven.

However,
this entire meal was nothing compared to the mixed fish, which was presented in
a large seashell.  The shell was filled
with various pieces of fish such as cod, delicious king prawns and calamari
topped with a crab in its shell and cooked in a light tomato sauce. The fish
was tasty but it was the prawns and the crab that made this dish superb. The
only downside was that we weren’t served the correct utensil to dissect the
crab with; so in the ordeal became very messy.

If you
want to go for an intimate date or a quiet dinner with a small group; then Tia
Maria is just your restaurant. We ordered the most expensive items from the
menu and with two glasses of wine, a soda and water the total was 450LE for two
people. At the time of our visit, Tia Maria didn’t have desserts yet, but we
are pretty sure they will have some soon.