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

When it comes to the success of emerging restaurant or café chains, consistency is key and, more often than not, it’s difficult to come by on Cairo’s dining scene – even between different branches of the same chain.

When we headed to Café Supreme’s 6 of October City branch, located amongst the outdoor restaurants and cafés across the fountain, we had our fingers crossed that it would be just as impressive as its counterpart branches, which we had previously visited.

As soon as we were seated in the indoor area, menus, boasting the café’s usual line-up of risk-free dishes and beverages, were presented to us.  Going for the Chicken Caesar Salad (40LE), Fungi Pizza (43 LE), Supreme Signature Pasta (49 LE), and the Pesto Chicken Sandwich with a side of Caesar salad (39 LE), along with sodas, we awaited our order patiently.

The drinks made their way to our table within a couple of minutes, with slightly dusty-looking cups, which our waiter instantly proceeded to exchange with cleaner ones. The food arrived about fifteen minutes later and we didn’t look back from there.

The Chicken Caesar Salad came in quite an ample portion with heaps and heaps of lettuce topped with strips of well-cooked and well-seasoned grilled chicken, croutons and shredded cheese drenched in Caesar dressing. It tasted quite fresh, but it was very short on dressing making it a little dry at times.

With a thin crust holding a layer of fresh tomato sauce topped with mozzarella cheese, fresh mushrooms and black olives served on a wooden peel, the pizza was quite light and delicious – the fact that the mushrooms were fresh and not canned added a nice touch.

The pasta, which came in penne form as requested, boasted a delicious, albeit too-heavy, cream sauce and grilled chicken strips, while the pesto chicken sandwich came in brown baguette, also as requested, with grilled chicken strips topped with tomatoes, lettuce and pesto mayo sauce that a little more of would’ve been appreciated.

All in all, Café Supreme’s Mall of Arabia branch does the chain justice in maintaining its consistency. We could speculate all day long what their trick is – but with excellent service and simple but well-executed dishes, why question a good thing, right?