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

The moment we saw that ‘Bread and Chocolate’ sign, we knew that we would be in for something special. Arkan newcomer, Troufa, opened a few short months ago next to IL Loft and Gigi’s Bar, and it didn’t fail our expectations.

Troufa is the kind of venue that will make you feel like you want to wrap it all up and take it home to tryout everything. As soon as you step inside, you’ll find a display full of chocolate mousses in ramekins and mini tarts and pies, surrounded by more displays full of chocolates, biscuits, cheesecakes and a long linear display that contains all of their breakfast items and bread. There’s also a gelato display by the end of the store, but when it comes to the seating, there’s only a very simple outdoor area which is good for breakfast or brunch.

The waiter gave us a tour in the mouthwatering venue and few things caught our attention. We opted for the Quiche Loraine Spinach (40LE) and the Croque Monsieur (75LE) for breakfast.

Starting with the quiche, the flaky dough crust was topped with a mixture of spinach and savoury custard. We loved the richness, creaminess and cheesiness of the custard, which was balanced perfectly and toned down by the generous amount of spinach.

As for the croque monsieur, this is one for hardcore cheese fans only. When it comes to flavours, the dish was on the basic side, mostly because the bechamel promised on the menu was lacking. Served with light and crispy potato chips, it was essentially a simple turkey sandwich topped with a blend of melted mozzarella and gouda cheese.

Moving to desserts, we went with the White Chocolate Mousse (45LE) and the Chocolate Karidopita (29LE) from the Greek-Oriental desserts section.

Let’s start by saying that the white chocolate mousse was phenomenal. In addition to its beautiful presentation, the mousse had a creamy and thick texture, yet was still very light. The crust/base of the mousse had a beautiful crunch that was very similar to a croquant/wafer hybrid, but that raspberry jam in the middle stole the show; we’re not sure whether it’s homemade, but it certainly didn’t taste like it came off the supermarket shelf. Overall, it’s a beautiful dessert with a fantastic diversity of textures and flavours that go perfectly together.

Meanwhile, the chocolate karidopita had its ups and downs. We loved the clove and mastic-infused syrup and how it softened the dry texture of the walnut cake, as well as the spot-on amount of Nutella on top which complimented without overpowering. On the other hand, the cake itself had a strong egg smell – a sign that the eggs possibly weren’t beat enough, leaving some traces that were cooked.

We went home with a four Brioche Slider Buns (14LE) and a 1/4 kg of their homemade chocolate (155LE) and we fell in love with their sleek buns; they’re soft, airy and rich and look absolutely flawless – we even made cute sliders with them. As for the chocolate, they have a decent  variety to choose from, whether you’re looking for a classic chocolate bar with nuts, Oreo-filled chocolate, or a dome-shaped chocolate that has very similar flavours to Kinder Bueno. It’s good quality chocolate, but the prices make them an every-now-and-again treat, rather than a regular thing.

All in all, Troufa is a great ‘coffee break with a dessert’ kind of venue. We fell in love with their bread, white chocolate mousse, quiche, and how the products are displayed inside venue. We obviously couldn’t cover everything in the review because they have so much to offer and we’ll definitely go back for more.