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

It’s been quite a while since a place has been hyped this much. Yes, there have been trends here and there; however, they usually revolve around a single dish or a new creation. This Ramadan, like every other, Taghmisa is getting more popular, and we had to see for ourselves what the hype was about!

Located at Arabella Country Club in New Cairo, Taghmisa gives off a modern take on Ramadan tents, while keeping its traditional Ramadan aura. The festive vibes were prominent with multiple entertainment segments that included a Tanoura, Ferqet Hasaballah (or Hasaballah’s Band) and Ramadan music. As soon as we sat at our table, the waiters gave us a complimentary starter of their famous hearty bread and white cheese with tomatoes.

The cheese was extremely creamy, salty and fairly strong, and the tomatoes were fresh and a little sweet, which balanced the entire dish. Their bread, which they call Eish Taghmisa, is more like feteer; it’s very fluffy and rich, you can eat it on its own. 

To get us started, we ordered their Hummus (EGP 45) and Eish Taghmisa (EGP 75). While the flavour of the hummus was nutty and decadent, with the olive oil cutting through the richness of the dish, the texture was off, and it was more clumpy than creamy. We also went for their Fuul Mehaweg (EGP 65) and the Cheddar Omelette (EGP 75). The fuul was a bit disappointing as it had almost no flavour, despite the spices and the fried greens atop the beans. However, the Cheddar Omelette was a treat—eggs cooked in butter with a thick layer of cheddar cheese sandwiched between the omelette. The cheese magically remained nice and hot as we swapped between dishes, which helped the plate remain fresh with every bite. The eggs were fluffy, and the cheddar gave a great taste and hearty flavour. 

We couldn’t skip our Suhoor without trying their Alexandrian Sujuk (EGP 95) and liver, or Kebda (EGP 95). The Sujuk was a flavour bomb; the sausages were cooked to perfection and had a good bite to them, with the peppers and onions lifting the flavour profile and making the dish lighter. The liver, on the other hand, was overcooked and mushy, so we couldn’t enjoy the flavour even though it was rich and smokey. 

To end our meal, we decided on their most popular dessert, Zalabice (EGP 140) and a couple of their mini pots of tea with mint (EGP 130). The Zalabice—fried zalabya dough with your choice of Lotus or Nutella spread, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream—was perfectly balanced and not too sweet. It had a good crunch to it and remained quite soft on the inside. The only problem with the dish was that it was too hard to cut into, so we had to use our hands, which resulted in a mess. The tea was enjoyable alongside the dessert, and the mint flavour was quite refreshing. 

Overall, we had a good experience, though the restaurant didn’t live up to its hype. The waiters were also quite busy, so the wait for the food was longer than usual.