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

With every Ramadan come a slew of tents, seasonal events and other festivities competing to be THE place to be in Cairo. Located at Uptown Cairo, Lanterns has returned with the promise of the whole Ramadan package.

With a valet welcoming us at the entrance, we were invited to the outdoor area where sohour is held and offered the choice of a lounge or beanbags. A stage was set up with live entertainment, though at the time of our visit and out of tune singer provided the background music. Aside from that, however, Lanterns provides a great, laid back atmosphere perfect for lazy Ramadan nights.

The sohour buffet (210++ per person) includes a selection of Oriental salads, with rice, sautéed vegetables and potato wedges as the only sides available. As for appetisers, there are both cheese and beef sambousak, kobeba and spring-rolls. There are three main stations; a grilled kofta station, a chicken shawerma station and an omelet station. For a more Egyptian sohour, there’s also falafel, hard-boiled eggs and a foul cart, while dessert consisted of the usual Oriental sweets and – new for this year – a konafa station.

The rice had a nice cinnamon-aftertaste, though the potato wedges were supposedly seasoned with herbs but that was not evident when we sliced into them. Most of the fried options, including all the appetisers were fine, but didn’t offer anything memorable, except for the spring-rolls which had an salty and sour taste in the vegetables.

The well-spiced kofta, meanwhile, was grilled to perfection in a large coal grill and was one of the highlights of the buffet. As for the chicken shawerma; it was made on request in small shami bread with the option of adding toppings like onions, tomatoes and parsley. Like the kofta, the chicken cooken was well spiced and cooked.

Also made upon request was the omelet, with options of adding cheese or vegetables if need be, which delicious despite being simple.

The konafa station was another highlight. Made on-the-spot, the stations offers toppings including chocolate sauce and coconut shavings, which made the traditional dessert all the more interesting in terms of flavour combinations.

The problem we had at the time of our visit, however, was the staff. While the shisha staff were attentive to the smooth, flavourful shishas we tried, it was the ever-disappearing waiters that were hard to get the attention of throughout the evening.

This, in addition to flat live music, hindered what was an otherwise great sour experience. Lanterns has a lot going for it this year, but what it does best is retain a state of relaxation and cosiness that is fantastic with a group of friends or family.