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

Among the numerous vendors at Sheikh Zayed’s Zaitouna Food Hall, we noticed the newly opened Indian restaurant, Maharani, so we decided to give it a try.

At over a hundred items, the huge menu had us so baffled that we asked one of the staff members for help, who, luckily, turned out to be the owner of the place. We ended up ordering Baigan Tare (65LE), alongside the classic Palak Paneer (65LE), and Butter Chicken (75LE). The latter was the owner’s recommendation, who promised that his take on the classic is like no other.

Think of it as the Indian version of the famous Levantine baba ganoush; the baigan tare is a chunky roasted eggplant dip, seasoned to perfection. As for the all-time-favourite vegetarian dish, palak paneer, it came in the form of chewy yet soft delicious cheese cubes, drenched in a flavourful spinach sauce.

We all know everyone loves a good bowl of butter chicken. We have to say, Maharani recipe –as promised- was out of this world; it had a strong tomato flavour, and the chef wasn’t scared of going bold with the spices. The chicken itself was very tender, and the consistency of the sauce was on point. What else could we ask for?

 With saucy food like that, we needed some rice and bread, so that’s what we got; Kashmiri Pullao (75LE), Chicken Tikka Naan (35LE), and Garlic Naan (20LE), because what’s an Indian feast without naan?

The Kashmiri pullao was a bowl of well-prepared, fluffy basmati rice topped with nuts. The garlic naan was perfectly chewy with a lightly crispy exterior and a pleasantly garlicky flavour, and the chicken tikka naan was great too.

Although Maharani seemed a little out of place, relative to the food hall’s overall theme, we, nevertheless had a great experience; the flavours were remarkable, and the prices were reasonable.