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

Finding a place where you can consider as another living room, where you and your friends can meet and have fun can be hard to come by; there’s usually a deal-breaker that takes away from the fun and usually it’s in the quality, be it in the food, or service or just the atmosphere.

Hidden away on El Huria street off of El Nozha Street ,Perk N’ Puff boasts a L-shaped outdoor area with wooden and terrace designed seats alongside glass tables, as for the indoor area wooden white and blue chairs dominate the atmosphere with murals on the walls one of which was Superman smoking a hookah.

After taking our seats outside,we got our interestingly looking menus; a handled wooden chopping board with two menus, one for the food and a smaller one for the drinks and dessert. We opted for the Molten Cheese fries (45LE) as our appetiser, which came ten minutes later as home-cut fries topped with spices and seasoning all while under a coat of molten cheese.

While a little soggy, the fries tasted great, boasting a sharp, cheesy taste followed by the fries’ herby undertones.

Moving onto our main dishes, we opted for the Beef Stroganoff (135LE)and the Country Club Chicken (96LE). We ordered the beef stroganoff with a side of white basmati rice and mashed potatoes, while with the chicken club, we got the chicken with Mexican rice and mashed potatoes as well.

A mix of sautéed beef strips, onions, mushrooms and bell peppers was swimming in a smooth rich sauce that had a nice savoury taste and was the perfect thing to mix with the basmati rice which was a little under seasoned but easily fixed with the sauce. The mashed potatoes on the other hand were creamy and well-seasoned making the dish a well-rounded one.

Making our way to the country club chicken, it had two fried chicken breasts topped with a gravy cheese sauce, mixed with pieces of sweet corn, mushrooms and bacon.Wonderfully diverse, the sauce mixed well with the chicken offering an extra depth in flavour.

Another wonderful side was the Mexican rice;the mix of bell peppers, corn and tomatoes allowed it to work well with the chicken offering amore interesting alternative to the white basmati rice.

We also tried a couple of the cafe’s drinks, starting with the Perk N Puff Smoothie (43LE); a layered fruit drink with a mix of mango, strawberry and guava topped with whip cream. Served cold and fresh, it’s reminiscent of a fakhfakhina drink. Following suite was the Avalanche, which a mix of iced lemonade, pineapple, with a hint of blue curacao that provided an extra tang to the already zesty drink.

To close off the evening we opted for the watermelon flavoured Shisha (39LE) with an iced lay (15LE); it was smooth, rich and wonderfully smoky end to our night.

Overall we had a really great time at Perk N’ Puff; with good food, a nice atmosphere and friendly and attentive staff, it’s a potentially a great hangout spot for anyone looking for a place to chill and relax all while having a delicious bite to eat.