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

Change is a normal part of life, but when it comes to restaurants, it more often than not means changing for the worst – because there’s a lot of truth in the saying, if it ain’t broke don ‘t fix it. There are, however, restaurants that do end up changing for the better.

Viking has decided to do exactly that with a big new venue in Mall Of Egypt that has opened in a smart location just opposite the VOX Cinema complex making it a nice stop while waiting for the movie to start, or for dinner after.

Boasting a mostly brown and beige design, the venue has been developed really well with a huge Helm of Awe on one of the walls (one of the most powerful symbols in Norse mythology) that acts as an eye-catching centrepiece of what is a rustic, antiquity-inspired decor that is also airy and bright to an extent.

We started with the Viking Sampler (70LE) which arrived swift ten minutes after ordering; it had three pieces of fried mozzarella, three chicken strips, five fried mashed potato balls and six calamari rings, with a small plate with four different sauces. The mozzarella sticks were golden brown with a slightly crispy shell, and a very gooey cheese with a slight saltiness to it that worked well with the marinara.

The chicken strips, meanwhile, had a crunchy breaded exterior that made way for a nice tender – although a bit dry – which was perfect with the honey mustard or thousand island sauces. The calamari rings were a bit overcooked and had an almost weird taste to it that we tried to hide with the tartar sauce, but we saved the best for last; the mashed potato balls were small pieces of savory heaven with its mushy potato melting in our mouths with every bite.

Our mains arrived fifteen minutes after that; Montreal Steak (125LE), Chicken Scaloppini (77LE) and Italiano Chicken (77LE).

The Montreal steak was a steak fillet topped with slices of sausage covered with a special cheese sauce, and served with a side of red rice. The steak was a little dry, but fixed to a degree by what was a tangy cheese sauce, which worked even better with the salty aftertaste of the sausage which had a nice beefy taste. The rise, meanwhile, had a nice hue to it with a slightly spicy aftertaste, though it just needed a little salt to enhance the flavour.

The Chicken Scaloppini was fried, breaded chicken topped with small pieces of smoked beef, dill and a hefty amount of lemon sauce, served with a side of fettuccini pasta topped with diced peppers, white sauce and cheese shavings.

In absorbing the sauce, the chicken breast pieces became quite soggy, but actually gave it a nice, deep and tangy lemony flavour that played off the smokiness of the smoked beef slices. Served in a decent portion size, meanwhile, the white sauce of the pasta was seasoned perfectly and gave the plate a well-rounded flavour.

Finally the Italiano chicken was two chicken breasts topped with a mushroom sauce and slices of smoked turkey and red cheddar cheese, served with a side of penne pasta topped with white sauce and cheese shavings. The chicken was, again, slightly soggy but still retained its flavour; in mixing it with the tangy red cheddar and the smoky flavour of the turkey, it was a little reminiscent of a dismantled cordon bleu.

We rounded-off what had been an all-round quite successful meal with the Chocolate Pot (40LE) for dessert, which was a molten chocolate cake inside a tajin-like clay pot topped with ice-cream and drizzled with some chocolate and caramel sauce. The cake itself was hot with a rich cocoa flavour and was stuffed with even hotter molten chocolate oozing and bursting with chocolaty goodness. The vanilla ice-cream was unremarkable, but smooth and worked well with the cake.

Overall Viking has done a great job making a mark on Mall of Egypt with a unique new branch that is nothing like its other branches. While it is often considered as a ‘better version’ of restaurant chains like Spectra and Roastery, there are touches of creativity throughout the menu, while the aesthetic of the space and its decor take the branch more towards a high-end dining style.