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

With new-fangled venues opening regularly and adding to the already heaving Cairo restaurant scene, we often forget the more traditional, established eateries in the city. Having recently undergone a radical make-over, we visited Tres Bon’s branch in Heliopolis to check out their new look. The new décor is much slicker and boasts impressive black chandeliers, cream wallpapers and black marble arches.

Customers have the choice of both outdoor and indoor seating; we were pleased to see that this restaurant takes full advantage of its antique balcony too – after all, it’s these beautiful accents that old Heliopolis buildings are famous for. Upon our entrance the host greeted us with a big smile and led us to our table, which was refreshingly positioned directly in front of their giant outdoor fans.

It didn’t take us long to go though the menu items, as the structure was both clear and organised, offering up an eclectic mix of American, Italian, French and Lebanese dishes. Most of the dishes were explained under their exotic names; however, the waiters are always happy to clarify further.

For starters, we ordered their super nachos (30 LE) and chicken strips (37 LE), as well as a Lemon Mint Smoothie (18 LE) and a soda (12 LE). The appetisers arrived quickly and were both generously sized and presented well.  The chicken strips were tender but a little bland and relied heavily on the chilli sauce dish to add the extra flair it needed. The nachos lacked creativity too, simply topped with a small amount of melted cheese and chopped tomatoes.

Unfortunately our mains – one Fillet Au Poivre (75LE) and the deluxe burger (45LE) – arrived before we’d finished our starters, causing us to send them back to the kitchen until we were ready.

Both dishes were much larger than we’d envisaged. The Fillet Au Poivre, in other words, beef fillet with pepper sauce was excellent, well-cooked and easy to cut. The black pepper sauce could have only been improved had the peppercorns been crushed rather than left whole, but still complimented the meat and side of white rice perfectly.

We were surprised that the deluxe burger tasted better than those served at most specialty burger joints in the city. The huge, juicy beef burger was encased in a fresh bread bun with just the right ratio of lettuce, onions and tomatoes. The side of fries tasted good too and were brilliantly crispy but soft on the inside.

Next, it was time to indulge our sweet teeth. We ordered their classic brownies (28 LE) and Oreo frappe smoothie (23 LE). The brownies came fresh with a river of rich, melted chocolate sauce, sprinkled hazelnuts and a small scoop of vanilla ice cream; even though we struggled, we couldn’t resist finishing the entire dish. A must-have for any chocolate lover, the Oreo Frappe was icy, with a perfect fusion of Oreos, milk and ice cream.

Despite the disappointing starters, Tres Bon provides good food in a new-look, chilled-out space with friendly staff to boot.