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

Located opposite the National Bank of Egypt
in Mohandiseen, showy shawerma restaurant Shawermer on Syria Street (try saying
that really fast three times) sits quite proudly with its slick black, red and
yellow signage. Inside, the economically sized area holds a large kitchen at
the back and a set of two horizontal shawerma skews suspended over burning coals
on the left. Standing opposite that are some tall tables for you to eat at.

The menu at Shawermer is really very
limited, with only five sandwiches offered. The regular shawerma sandwiches
come in chicken, meat, kabab and fish versions (11LE to 12LE). Hawawshi is also
available (11LE), as well as quail (30LE).

Having never come across a fish shawerma
before, we took a leap of faith and sampled one, imagining that it would be the
option most benefitting from the charcoal grill. The unidentifiable white fish
lacked taste, but it was cooked and seasoned in way that made up for that. As
this was our first time to try a fish shawerma, the novelty alone made up for
its lack of taste. That generic char-grilled taste, peppered dressing and
vegetables combined with the soft consistency of the fish were enough to
overlook its deficiencies.

We also tried the kabab shawerma, and found
it surprising difficult to eat. The meat was a little chewier than you’d like,
and so we often found ourselves compelled to bite off one whole piece of kabab in
a mouthful to avoid ripping at it and making a mess. Despite said chewiness,
the taste of char-grilled kabab was surprisingly good, and tasted even better
dipped in tomeya (2LE).

For an extra 6.50LE, you can upgrade your
sandwich to a combo, adding fries and a can of drink to your order. We weren’t
really sure what to make of the fries. Some were crunchy, while others were
soft, making it seem like these were two completely different batches. They were nonetheless pleasant enough,
especially when combined with the tomeya.

One thing worth noting about Shawermer is that
it’s very clean- something that most local shawerma places lack. The two staff
members are courteous and enjoy a bit of banter, and so the atmosphere is
comfortable, if unspectacular. That
describes the food to a tee as well. Unless you live within very close
proximity to Shawermer, or gain the fish shawerma as a new addiction, there’s
little to keep you coming on a regular basis or go out of your way to grab a
bite there.