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

Feel like having a nice breakfast
after an early workout session at the Gezirah Club? What about a cup of tea and a shisha on a
relaxing, quiet patio? Even though it is a bit far from the centre of
Zamalek, Orangette is very easy to find and to recognize. Situated across from
Gezira Sporting Club’s back entrance and next to what was once the Four Corners
building (keep going straight after TBS and Fauchon), its bright orange
colours make the venue hard to miss.

Open early in the morning until
late at night, Orangette offers a wide range of food and beverages, and a breakfast
menu that is served until 1PM. This reviewer’s favourite breakfast items are
the sweet honey waffle (waffle topped with honey sauce for 19LE), and the salty
Spanish omelette (with cheddar cheese, tomatoes, peppers and onions for 21.95LE).

If you feel like a coffee
treat, you can opt for an ice berg (coffee, ice cream, cream and nuts for 15LE),
a latté, mocha, or coffee frappé (20.50LE). Furthermore, you can enjoy a glass
of fresh juice (normal juices for 15LE, mixed juices for 16.95LE) or a milk
shake (16.50LE), while smoking a shisha or playing backgammon with a friend. The
large trees shade you from the sun, and enormous fans produce a cooler breeze.

Once in the café, you can have a
seat on the patio or in one of the two rooms. This reviewer prefers the livelier
ambiance of the patio, as the other rooms are a bit dark during the day. Each
room has its own atmosphere: the dining room has a kind of Japanese minimalist
twist to it, perfectly hosting its sushi corner. The sushi corner faces Om Kolthoum
Street and its menu proposes, amongst others, the classical nigiri served in two
portions (16LE for salmon, eel-avocado, octopus, shrimps or shrimp-avocado). Sashimi
served in nine or a mix of three variations (140LE), and maki rolls are also offered. And if you
want to share and taste a bit of everything, you can order one of the sushi
selections: 30 pieces for 190LE, 40 pieces for 235LE, and 50 pieces for 290LE.

For dinner, this reviewer sampled
the mushroom soup (20LE) and Chinese chicken salad (26LE). The service is quite
fast and a selection of warm bread is offered before the meal. For our main courses,
we tried the pizza margherita (29.95LE), which was quite greasy and heavy, and the
rosemary fillet (66.95LE). Portions were generous but side dishes were not the
best. Even though we felt like trying their Nutella crêpe (28LE), our stomachs
were already full enough.

At the time of this reviewer’s
visit, the atmosphere was quite noisy and strange synthesized music was played.
We were surrounded by pictures and paintings of food, giant vases with green
plants, big wood forks and bamboo canes. In the end, the patio remains the most
enjoyable part of Orangette.