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

We always get excited when a restaurant in Cairo announces the launch of a new menu – don’t judge. When that particular menu is all about steaks, then yeah, we’re sold. Chili’s recently introduced the ‘Chef’s Cut’ menu, and though the quality of steak at the restaurant chain has always been up for debate, wild horses couldn’t keep this steak-lover away.

A pleasant waiter opened the door and greeted us as we stepped into the Bandar Mall branch; we sat outside to enjoy the final traces of spring weather and avoid the annoying American diner pop music playlist.

After browsing the menu, we opted for Boneless Buffalo Wings (59.99LE), and from the Chef’s Cut menu, we opted for a medium-cooked South West Short Rib Fillet (124.99LE) and a medium cooked Glazed Shrimp Fillet (149.99LE). Additionally, we opted for an Apple Berry Cobbler (39.99LE) for dessert.

We were surprised by how quickly our appetisers were served; a generous portion of boneless wings drenched in spicy buffalo sauce and complemented by a heavy-on-the-blue-cheese ranch dip. Falvour-wise, the chicken was flavourful, but, unfortunately, just a tad too soggy causing it to lose the crunch it would normally have.

The steaks were the true highlight of our meal. The South West Short Rib Fillet consists of a fillet resting on a bed of corn salsa, topped with short rib meat and pickled onions, spinach queso and fresh cilantro. The meat was medium-cooked as requested and the combination of fillet and short rib meat was just beautifully sinful. The spinach queso was a fine addition, but quite heavy, while the side of skillet mashed potatoes was surprisingly flavourful.

The Glazed Shrimp Fillet consisted of a fillet on corn salsa, topped with glazed shrimp, spinach queso and fresh cilantro, and a side of skillet macaroni and cheese. The fillet was similarly cooked medium as requested. While a little less colourful in the flavour department than its counterpart, this was still a thoroughly enjoyable main course. The shrimp were delicious, but unfortunately, the macaroni and cheese involved way too much cream and far too little cheese leaving it closer to Alfredo sauce.

The Apple Berry Cobbler, made with baked apples and fresh blackberries topped with cinnamon-nut crumble, a scoop of vanilla ice cream and sweet caramel sauce. The mixture of flavours was very interesting, as was the increased sweetness from the berries. Chili’s also serves an excellent vanilla ice cream, which really brought together the concoction and nicely rounded off the meal.

Frankly, our biggest piece of advice with Chili’s, especially this particular branch, is to avoid the weekends, the holidays and generally any sort of occasion that will involve family outings. They don’t seem to handle the pressure very well and it’s reflected in the food.