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

One of Cairo’s classics, Taboula, has established itself among the many Lebanese restaurants in Egypt as one of – if not the – best. A fitting Ramadan cuisine, it’s no surprise that it’s hard to find reservations at any of their branches.

We reserved for a party of four for fetar at the Zamalek branch, during which we made our order over the phone.

Said ordr consisted of fattoush (25LE), taboula (25LE), chicken liver (32LE), vine leaves (23LE), hummus with meat (35 LE) and fried kebbah (30LE). From the main courses we opted for a Shrimp Tajin (65 LE) and a Mixed Grill (79 LE).

We arrived only ten minutes before fetar and found our table already set with all the dishes, minus the main course and soups. At absolute crunch time, service was fair. While the soup was only lukewarm and devoid of much flavour – as with everything made in bulk in Ramadan –  the rest of the food was actually quite appetising, especially with the freshly baked bread.

The chicken liver in particular was a highlight, thanks to the pomegranate molasses used, making for a sweet and sour touch. The hummus with meat was also great; the perfectly cooked meat pieces, the pine nuts and the dash of olive oil all came together for an excellent dipping dish. The kebbah, meanwhile, was a tad dry, and the vines leaves were a little too drenched with olive oil. This extends to the taboula and fattoush as well.

The Shrimp Tajin was very disappointing. Tiny in portion and served with whole shrimps – shells and all – it was overcooked and chewy and so pungent with the smell of fish it was entirely off-putting.

The  Mixed Grill consisted of two skewers of kofta, two of kebab and two of shish tawook. Rarely have we ever seen a restaurant get the shish tawook right and kofta wrong, but this was the case. While the kofta was a little charred and a little under-seasoned, the tawook was heavily marinated, tender and delicious. The kebab was average and unmemorable.

While many restaurants work overtime to accommodate for Ramadan, few can actually maintain a level of quality and service that is in line with the rest of the year. While there were mistakes and disappointing moments, fans of Taboula won’t be disappointed.