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

Visiting Cairo without visiting the Nile
is like going to New York City without seeing the Statue of Liberty. Among the
myriad of dining venues that offer a Nile side view, Casino was this reviewer’s
choice.

Located right at the beginning of
the Giza Corniche after El Bahr El Aazam’s tunnel, Casino features both indoor
and outdoor seating areas. When the sun is still up, the view of the Nile is
not to be missed.

Seated right next to the deck
overlooking the Nile, we spent a good load of time taking photos before we
finally decided to order. The waiter brought us a complimentary plate of freshly
baked bread alongside chopped olives and butter.

The menu at Casino doesn’t feature
anything out of the ordinary, but after perusing the chicken dishes section, we
ordered the chicken and mushroom (58LE), chicken a la Romano (54LE) and chicken
curry (54LE).

Of the three chicken dishes, we
liked the chicken curry best. It was served in scrumptious gravy, and we absolutely
loved how strong the curry tasted. The chicken and mushroom dish didn’t fare as
well but was good dish nonetheless; chicken pieces were served with a delicious
and creamy white sauce and chopped mushrooms. We didn’t like the chicken a la
Romano dish, which consisted of three chicken breast pieces topped with an
unidentifiable cheese. Apart from lacking the appropriate seasoning, we were
disappointed at how mundane the chicken breasts were; they lacked any real
taste.

We also ordered the penna Casino (45LE).
This was the dish we continued eating long after we were full. Drenched in a mouth-wateringly
delicious white sauce and cooked with chicken and mushroom, we polished off the
hearty portion.

We later sampled the Casino burger (39LE).
To say the burger was monstrous is an understatement. It required a special set
of skills to fit the sandwich into this reviewer’s mouth. Served with a side of
fries and coleslaw, and topped with lettuce, tomato, onion and mayo, the burger
was cooked to a juicy perfection.

Once the dusk rolled forward, we
decided it was too cold for us and moved indoors. A stray cat was wandering
about and was feeding on food crumbs. We weren’t very fond of the desserts
section on the menu, since it didn’t have any chocolate-laden items. Eventually,
we sampled the brownie (28LE), which was served with one scoop of vanilla ice
cream, although we requested caramel ice cream. The dish as a whole was pretty pedestrian.

This reviewer would definitely visit
Casino again for the refreshing Nile view and sweet breeze, if nothing else.