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

Over the past three years, 6th of October city and Sheikh Zayed have evolved into dining and entertainment hubs – places where Cairenes can leave the busy streets of the capital for something a little less crowded.

Settled in Rivulet, Capital Grill has a well selected spot overlooking the fountain and boasts a classic interior design offering class and elegance.

After a warm welcome by the staff and being shown our table, we were served warm, freshly made welcome bread with a special sauce that included a bit of mustard, some herbs and vinegar, all of which worked well with the soft bread, which tasted great and gave a nice sharp contrast to the welcome apple drink which had a sweet aftertaste.

About thirty minutes later, our starter of Chilli Cheese potatoes (25LE) arrived as chunks of potatoes covered with a hefty amount of cheese and minced beef. While some of the potato chunks were slightly undercooked, making them a little hard to slice into, it was an insignificant amount and the chilli had a flavourful tomato taste making it a bit acidic and balancing the flavours.  

Coming in a glass shortly afterwards, the Shrimp Konafa (55LE) came as five medium sized shrimps with konafa on the outside. Unfortunately, the konafa was more like breading, rather than long, flowing pieces wrapped around the shrimp.

Our first main of Chicken Cordon Bleu (75LE) came as four halves chicken breast halves stuffed with smoked beef, mushroom and cheese and topped with even more cheese, served alongside penne pasta with white sauce.

As we dug in, the chicken tasted fantastic; the smoked beef and the saltiness of the mushroom complimented the chicken and rich texture of the cheese, making every bite a flavourful one. The pasta, meanwhile, was cooked to perfection, although it needed a little more sauce.

The Capital Grill Fillet (115LE), meanwhile, came as three medallion sized fillets on a sizzling skillet, alongside blue cheese, brown mushroom and white mushroom sauces, while our chosen side of CG rice and mashed potato gratin came in separate plates.

Topping each medallion with a different sauce, each one complemented the beef in its own way, while for the meat itself had a great earthy taste with wonderful grill marks and a great meaty texture – all signs of good quality beef.

The mashed potato gratin, meanwhile, had a thick, rich texture with a smooth cheesy topping, while the CG rice was prepared with different kinds of herbs giving it a unique look and interesting mix of flavours.

Moving on to our dessert we ordered the Capital Cheese Cake (37LE) which came on a large plate as three small cheese cakes with three different toppings; caramel, chocolate and strawberry. Despite the base being unusually warm, the dessert as a whole had a perfectly sweet aftertaste and smooth-and-crunchy texture.

The overall experience at Capital grill was a satisfactory one; it’s a nice place for a good meal with a calming and relaxing ambiance that would work great for a special occasion or a business dinner, but without offering anything particularly unique. Like Steak Out and Spectra before it, whose menus are very similar, it’s a safe option.