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

Located in Korba, Heliopolis Ravish is the latest contestant to join the endless battle between gourmet burger restaurants in Cairo. From the chains and the empty bottles hanging on the wall to the small buckets placed on the tables, Ravish has an interior that has become typical of many burger places, with an unremarkable atmosphere, but the open kitchen gave it a different ambiance.

With competition high, one would expect a variety of burgers on the menu, but what we found was some very basic options; out of 9 burgers, there are 3 mushroom burgers, the Signature Mushroom (55LE), Signature Mushroom and Bacon (63LE), and Provolone Cheese with Mushroom Saute (55LE). We decided to go with the Chicken burger (45LE) and the Spicy Mexican (55LE), but neither were available so we instead began with one of the more creative options, the Salmon Burger (68LE).

Boasting a perfectly cooked piece of salmon, topped with lettuce, ‘wasenasa’ sauce which was very similar to wasabi mayo, and sliced avocado and mango cubes, the burger had something of the fried sushi about it and gave the burger exotic flavours. The only element of the combination was the tempura onion rings, which didn’t meld with the other flavours.  In addition, it was very oily and the batter didn’t hold together.

Moving to our second burger, the (160gm) Provolone Cheese and Mushroom Sauté burger (55LE) is possibly the best representation of what Ravish is all about. The beef patty was super juicy and seasoned well, but the melted Italian provolone cheese stole the show with its mouth-watering, gooey texture, which in turn complimented the sweetness of the onions and the earthy flavour of the sautéed mushrooms. The mayonnaise was a particular highlight, meanwhile; it tasted homemade and fresh and was free of artificial flavours. It gave the burger richness, which worked well with the fresh shredded lettuce.

You can’t eat burgers without fries, so tried the restaurant’s Skin on Fries (15LE) which were unfortunately oily and were unremarkable, while the Green Mayo Dip (8LE) we ordered was just wasabi flavoured mayonnaise. The Sweet Potato Fries (18LE), however, were really tasty, but, again, it was super oily and lacked seasoning. The Bacon and Blue Cheese Dip (8LE) we ordered wasn’t much of a dip, turning out to be bacon bits mixed with blue cheese and oil – but against all logic, it was a delicious combo that could work great on a burger.

Due to the small size of the burger, we ordered another one and we went with the (160gm) Signature Mushroom and Bacon burger (63LE). It tasted exactly the same as the provolone cheese and mushroom, but instead of cheese we got bacon.

We finished our meal with Torrjas with Vanilla Ice Cream, Bananas and Nuts (50LE), which is a burger bun soaked in milk and eggs then fried, not unlike French toast. The exterior of the bun had a beautiful colour to it and the cinnamon and sugar coat worked incredibly well with the fresh bananas, the creaminess of the ice cream and the nuts, which gave it a crunch. However, the center was very soggy and lacked any real flavour. This was further compounded by the fact that the promised drizzled caramel was missing because it was out of stock.

Overall, our visit to Ravish proved to be a very pricey one, with average results. Had Ravish opened two years ago, it might have impressed, but with today’s competition, it fails to bring anything new to an already very crowded table.