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

It’s hard to imagine anything lasting for
over 300 years, but Trianon has as a café, bakery and all-round brasserie.
Plotted along the outdoor stretch of Dandy Mall just before
the Cairo-Alex desert toll gate, this branch is set up mostly as
an outdoor venue, and so is almost indistinguishable from its neighbours, but
for a small sign. There is a small indoor area that offers seating, but it’s
mostly where the staff operates from.

Trianon’s menu is huge, and the cakes are
just visible enough from the outside area to tempt you. So, we ordered a slice
of red velvet cake (19.95LE), which looked appetising, but had the consistency
of a brick as the fork struggled to get through it. We speculated that it must
be old, and our suspicions were
confirmed as news broke that the offending slice was the last of its kind.

We chose to consol ourselves from that
disappointment in a slice of caramel cheesecake (20.95LE), which looked nothing
like it did on the menu, was too sweet and again, a little hard.

Iced strawberry and lime juice mixed with
grenadine make up the strawberry virgin margarita, while the tropical daiquiri
is in the same vein, but with pineapple and lemon juice instead. Both cost
10.95LE, and rely on the grenadine for punch, as they are both heavy on
slush-puppy-like-ice and light on fruit flavours. The lemon and mint juice (10.95LE)
is a brilliant toxic green, but extremely sweet, which takes away the citrus edge.

A special offer of a slice of Delice chocolate
cake and a small coffee press for one is a great deal for 21.95LE. The cake was a
little small, but was also moist and had enough chocolate icing on it to give
you diabetes instantly. Food is available in abundance, and if you
choose to dine at Trianon, you have your pick of sandwiches, salads and burgers,
as well as a range of beef and pasta dishes.

The small coffee press is presented with a nice cup and
saucer, sugar and a small jug of milk. It made for two cups of passable coffee.
Shisha is of course available in a range of flavours, and will set you back
between 12LE and 18LE.

Like its near neighbour Grand Café, the
seating area at Trianon is made up of low wicker seats around both circular and
rectangular tables that are too close for comfort. Everyone is allowed a bad
day every now and again, but on top of the red velvet cake debacle, we were served the wrong soft drink, and we
had to ask for sugar for the coffee more than once. This was all rounded off by
the wrong cheque being delivered to the table; not once, but twice, and we were
unfortunately left a little frustrated by the whole evening.