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

When it comes to shopping in Cairo, there are few more vibrant streets in the city than Mossadak Street in Mohandiseen. In terms of kitchenware and home accessories, the road’s branch of Tulipe is where most will go; however, despite its hidden, below-ground-level entrance, smaller retailer, Kitchen Stores, is well worth routing around in.

As one might assume, Kitchen Stores houses a range of kitchen accessories, ranging from pots and pans, to kettles and other electrical equipment. What’s more impressive, however, is that the shop offers a wide variation in all of its products, in different colours, sizes and unique designs. One department that Kitchen Stores is lacking in though, is table-wear – plates, glasses, etc.

Despite the small size of the shop itself, there’s a very obvious and structured order to everything on display. What’s more, Kitchen Stores stocks a variety of gizmos and gadgets that we’ve not seen in any of the bigger kitchenware shops around Cairo.

All the basics are there; knife sets in a kaleidoscope of colours and materials, various vegetable-cutting devices, and pizza and cake cutters are all available. As are all manner of small devices, including often overlooked but eternally useful, garlic crushers and lemon presses.

Among the carnival of equipment, there are several cute and kitschy items, including a pizza dish with pizza-shaped handles (35LE), as well as an orange peeler shaped like orange segments (14LE). More generally, several playful, colourful spoon sets are on show, costing as low as 19LE.

Said playfulness extended to a quaint little tea-set (65LE), that, had it not been for its more mature rose and white design, could have been mistaken for a kid’s tea-set.

If efficiency and ease is your M.O. in the kitchen, many of Kitchen Store’s smaller items are either magnetised or with-hook, for easy storage – or hanging, in this case.

Prices at Kitchen Stores are generally quite reasonable. A set of quality ceramic pots in a rather dashing rose-pink colour caught our eye; for example, each individual piece was retailing for between 285LE and 365LE depending on the size. Teflon pans – imported from Italy – in a peculiar stripy pattern also caught our eye, selling for between 85LE-94LE.

In terms of service, Kitchen Stores’ staff are helpful when prompted with an enquiry, will discuss your needs and make suggestions. Most importantly, they allow shoppers to browse at leisure. It’s an approach that sums up Kitchen Stores pretty well.