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

The volcanic restaurant scene in Cairo can be overwhelming for some, but finding a place that stands out with a unique taste and concept is always great. Keeping an eye on new promising eateries, we headed over to Western Tummy; a restaurant and non-alcoholic bar located inside Downtown Katameya Mall in New Cairo.

Having opened towards the end of 2015 and hosted a fully-booked on New Year’s evening, Western Tummy already has a following amidst New Cairo residents. The restaurant stands out with a simple, intriguing industrial design in the main dining area and outdoors – grey chairs, stone-carved wall, wooden barrels – while it maintains a level of class manifested in the bar area with its large bottle display.          

As soon as we took our seats at a table, we were greeted with complimentary non-alcoholic ‘welcome shots’, which were comprised of apple, pineapple juice and pomegranate grenadine, with some coconut shavings on the glass edge.

After looking over the table mats – which had the restaurant’s menu printed on them – we opted for a plate of Chilli Cheese fries (39LE) as an appetiser, Fillet Red Wine (135 LE) and Fillet Blue Cheese (138 LE) – cooked well-done — as our mains and two bottles of non-alcoholic red wine (79LE) and white wine (78LE).

Although the chilli cheese fries were small in portion when compared to its price, it was nonetheless one of the best we’ve had in a long time. The chilli and the meat were an absolute delight with a homemade spicy taste and the cheddar cheese paste complimenting the overall flavours.      

After having a little too much fun observing the waiter popping the corks, our red and white wine drinks –which were basically just sparkling white and red grape juice – had a refreshing taste and were great chaperons during the rest of our meal.

Served on two slices of baguette bread, with a side of penne pasta, our fillet red wine had a delicious smoky and sweet sauce which perfectly complimented the meat. The pasta was less saucy than the fillet, with a tasty punch in the tomato sauce. Overall, this dish was perfect and the baguette was a nice addition soak in the remaining sauce. Finally, the homemade hot chilli side-sauce was sweet with a small flame at the back of your mouth for an extra kick.

Served with a side of Alfredo pasta, meanwhile, the blue cheese fillet was perfectly soaked in cheese and boasted a great sweet and sour taste that makes you hurry for the next bite. The Alfredo pasta was just as good, with a perfectly creamy white sauce, which, along with the blue cheese, gave the dish an all-white glare.

After enjoying our mains, we were ready for dessert and to seal the deal, we chose Blueberry Cheese Cake (36 LE). The cheesecake was largely unremarkable in taste, but mouth-watering blueberry sauce elevated the overall creamy taste.

All in all, our dinner experience at Western Tummy was great. Boasting one of the best steaks we had in Cairo, not to mention a quirky non-alcoholic bar and a sophisticated atmosphere.