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

Being born in Cairo to
Egyptian parents grants you unlimited access to delicious homemade Egyptian food.
That’s why when eating out, we tend to look for something a little bit
different. This time around, however, we decided to try Hosny; a restaurant
that serves up classic Egyptian cuisine.

Situated across from El Serag
City Mall in Nasr City, Hosny is a large restaurant, with a large neon sign carrying
the restaurant’s name, making it easy to spot. The ground floor is where the
cashier and the kitchen are located; we climbed a flight of stairs, but couldn’t
find any empty tables, so a waiter guided us to a third floor.

After making ourselves
comfortable, the menus were hurriedly brought to us, shortly followed by a
complimentary shami bread basket. A variety of salads, including tehina, garlic
dip, baba ghanough and aubergine salad, are served to every table with a 4LE
charge per person. Soup options include tomato (5LE), chicken mushroom (8LE)
and lentil (8LE). Although the tomato soup was light, it still left less room
for the upcoming meat-heavy main course.

The menu offers a variety of
beef and poultry dishes, including liver (150LE/kg), veal ribs (142LE/kg), stuffed
pigeon (28LE) and stuffed chicken (55LE). We tried the kofta (116LE/kg); for
one person, 250 grams is more than enough. The kofta was served atop a bedding
of parsley, grilled onion and green pepper. Although the meat was deliciously
tender, it was a bit too greasy and left us feeling full for hours after. The
veal kebab (142LE/kg) – also served with parsley – was cooked to a juicy,
tender perfection.

On the side, we ordered a
small plate of French fries (7LE) and a plate of oriental rice with nuts
(12LE). The brown rice was served with nuts, raisins and a host of familiar spices, all of
which came together to give the dish a distinct flavour. The mahshi (rice-stuffed
vegetables) was another delectable dish and is available in three different serving sizes (15LE, 25LE and 35LE). Said servings include stuffed vine leaves,
aubergine, green pepper, cabbage, tomatoes and zucchini. Although we ordered
the smallest plate, the portion was generous and more than enough for two people
to share. Unfortunately though, the mahshi was quite heavy and lacked seasoning
– an essential element to all Egyptian cooking.

The service at Hosny is not the most
attentive; we ordered a canned drink that we had to ask for a couple of times
and ended up being charged for a water bottle that we didn’t order nor
receive.

Despite the small drawbacks,
however, Hosny serves up authentic Egyptian cuisine, prepared with as much
attention to detail as a home-cooked meal.