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

Hidden at the top floor of phase two at Citystars, Sizzler’s latest branch has replaced Macaroni. Boasting an elegant and sophisticated vibe, Sizzler gives off a sense of class, with wooden floors and furniture, a dark mood with toned down lighting, and a large separator cutting the whole venue in half offering a level of privacy if needed.

A brad basket (12LE) was the first to arrive with four loafs of bread alongside a small plate that had four packs of butter and chopped-up olives. The bread had a nice crunchy exterior with a soft pillow-like interior that was fresh and perfect to smother with butter for an extra flavour.

As for our appetiser, we ordered the Sizzler Combo (120LE) which came fifteen minutes later as a huge platter that had something of everything out of the starters menu; fried mozzarella, Cordon bleu chicken, spring rolls, potato wedges, fried stuffed mushrooms and, finally, the option of either eight chicken strips or sweet chilli chicken pieces, of which we chose the latter. Alongside this large dish were four sauces; honey mustard, thousand island, BBQ sauce and blue cheese.

The fried mozzarella sticks had a slightly crispy shell with a hot gooey, cheesy centre that worked well with the thousand island sauce which gave it a sweet and savoury contrast. The spring rolls, meanwhile, were very crunchy on the outside, with nice flavourful vegetables at its core.

Topped with melted cheese and bacon bits, the potato wedges were a little soggy, but that didn’t hinder the taste of the cheese and potato combo, especially when dipped into the honey mustard. After cutting into them, the stuffed mushrooms were bursting with cheesy goodness offering a nice blend of flavours, without being too oily.

Almost never found as an appetizer, the unusual – yet welcomed – cordon bleu came as round balls of breaded chicken with a smoked beef and cheese filling. The chicken was well cooked and had a nice tenderness to it, while the slight smoky aftertaste of the beef and the richness of the cheese made one of the best items on the platter, alongside the sweet chilli chicken, which were perfectly balanced in terms of seasoning and spicing.

Ten minutes later, the main dishes we opted for started to arrive, starting with the Sizzler Grilled Fillet (150LE). The 340gm fillet was smothered with a creamy mushroom sauce and served with a side of sautéed vegetables. The beef was cooked well and had a nice hearty taste to it that was fresh and of high quality, all while having some mushroom undertones offering another layer of savoury goodness.

Next up was the Mushroom Beef (90LE), which turned out to be Sizzler’s version of Beef Stroganoff. The beef slices were swimming in the mushroom alongside pieces of sautéed mushroom, all of which were full of flavour without overpowering or overwhelming the beef.

Our final main dish arrives as the Sizzler Fried Chicken with Gravy (90LE); two country fried chicken breasts were topped with a healthy serving of gravy alongside a side of French fries and white rice. Though the chicken was well-seasoned and tender, the skin popped off every time we sliced into it making it hard to get that satisfying crunch.

Sizzler has done a great job, covering all its basis, be it service, with a staff that was always attentive and made sure the guests were cared for; the execution of the food making almost impeccable dishes that were both memorable and flavourful, and the overall atmosphere making it a welcoming and inviting venue that would revitalize not just the area it’s in, but the mall as a whole with an amazing venue worth visiting

Does Sizzler offer anything unique or out of the ordinary? No, but with attentive staff, almost impeccably executed dishes and the welcoming atmosphere, it’s a perfect addition to Citystars’ ever-changing fleet of restaurants.