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

One cuisine we can never say no to is the Lebanese. Somehow it manages to be both light yet decadent enough to satisfy any of our cravings for hearty food. Tamara, one of Cairo’s newer yet already widely coveted Lebanese eateries recently opened its doors in New Cairo and we couldn’t wait to grab a bite.

Offering a rather small indoor seating area, which was packed to its brim at the time of our visit, alongside a breezier outdoor seating area, Tamara overlooks Cairo Festival City Mall’s infamous dancing fountain. The whole feel of the place is modern-Arabian, with vibrant chandeliers and furnishing. Our waiter seated us outdoors on colourful, yet uncomfortable metal chairs.

Strangely enough, no menus were set on the table until we asked for them from one of the constantly busy waiters. Tamara offers all kinds of Lebanese delicacies, from delicious-sounding Thyme Manakish (30 LE), luscious Shawermas (40-60 LE), to numerous Grill options, Freek dishes (20-35 LE) and Fettahs (55-80 LE). Their dessert section, however, lured our sweet tooth and we hurriedly glanced through it before settling for their signature Ghazal Beirut (45 LE) and the Yoghurt Ice Cream with Berries and Cashews (30 LE).

Our dessert arrived quite instantly, within a few countable minutes, and we must say that its presentation was totally on point. The Ghazal Beirut came in the form of 2 scoops of Mastic ice cream topped with Mastic-flavoured cotton candy and sprinkled with crushed pistachios. Our first bite confirmed that it tasted even better than it looked, albeit being a tad too sweet. The Yoghurt Ice Cream, consisting of 3 scoops, on the other hand, was less spectacular and noticeably lacking in cashews. It was, nevertheless, quite fresh-tasting.

The evident problem, however, was the un-orderly service; we had to ask for the check twice before it arrived quite a while later.

To wrap up, we loved Tamara’s creative take on the mainstream oriental design; the interior design of the place is simply gorgeous. Also, Ghazal Beirut may as well be the most creative dessert we’ve had in a while. We think, however, that a bit of tweaking in the service departments will definitely go a long way.