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

Though 6 of October City residents might disagree, New Cairo is proving to be a hub of dining, with new restaurants, cafes and bars opening monthly, one of the latest of which is Gaby’s, who has opened a new branch at Point 90.

With an outdoor area filled with the chain’s trademarked wooden chairs giving a club feel, the indoor area takes things up a notch with armchairs and sofas, as well as exposed air-conditioning ducts and interestingly designed lights.

After taking our place inside, we opted for the Bits & Dips platter (110LE) as our appetiser and the Chateubriand (270LE) and Chicken Portobello Roll (95LE) for our main dishes. Arriving a few minutes later, a complimentary bread basket was served, with freshly baked bread and bread sticks, with a crunchy exterior and spongy interior accompanied with a small bowl of feta cheese which was a good contrast and gave the bread some flavour.

About twenty minutes later, our appetiser arrived in a large rectangular white plate filled with two large servings of nachos, three sausage samosas, four spicy Buffalo wings, three crispy bonbons, three mussels topping some potato salad and a small bowl of sour cream – yes, it’s a lot.

We decided to start with the messy Buffalo wings which were bursting with flavour, with a mild spiciness to it, which only gave the chicken an extra kick; afterwards we dove into the sausage samosas which had a satisfying crunchy exterior with an Oriental sausage stuffing which had a grainy texture with a flavourful Oriental spiciness.

Moving on to the crispy bonbons – fried bonbons stuffed with cheese and spinach, with what almost seemed like a cornflakes exterior instead of regular breading giving a yellowish colour. The fight for flavour dominance was intense as the cheese could only be found as an aftertaste while the cornflakes taste was so dominant, overpowering the spinach and potatoes at times.

Unfortunately the mussels were bland and didn’t have much to offer compared to the rest of the plate which if removed, its absence would go unnoticed. The potato salad was a bit bland as well, though well-cooked, pushing us to add a little salt and pepper to add a little seasoning.

The nachos were heavily seasoned and topped with some pico de gallo, and had a an overpowering flavour due to the excessive powdered seasoning which could only be toned down with the sour cream which created a balance of flavours and calm it down a bit.

Moving onto the mains, the Chateubriand came as two tenderloin fillets topped with a grape sauce with small slices of grapes, alongside basmati rice. The fillets had an earthy taste, with the grape sauce offering a great backdrop with its mildly sweet and sour aftertaste to contrast the dryness of the well-done grilled fillet, while the basmati rice was cooked perfectly, once again working well with the grape sauce to make it a well-rounded dish.

The Chicken Portobello Rolls, meanwhile, were four small chicken rolls stuffed with mushrooms and cheese, topped by pepper sauce with a side of mashed potatoes and broccoli. Slicing into the four rolls, three were well cooked, while one had a pinkish hue; prompting us to leave it aside. Taste-wise, the flavours were intense and, again, earthy, thanks to the Portobello mushrooms. The mashed potatoes were smooth, but a bit under-seasoned.

After a largely excellent meal, we opted for the Nutella Feteer (70 LE) for dessert. Arriving moments later on a wooden serving board, the Nutella feteer was rectangular  and drenched with Nutella and cut into sections, each topped with something different –  slices of  apple, kiwi, banana, and finally a ball of vanilla ice-cream.

The chosen fruits were well selected as each offered a different flavour to contrast the Nutella, with the apples offering the sweet side, the kiwi sour, the bananas creamy and the ice-cream a light, smooth aftertaste to the heavy Nutella.  The feteer itself was light and easy to slice into.

So what of our experience at Gaby’s? Casual sophistication, top quality food and friendly staff – we couldn’t ask for more.