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

After a long day of fasting, it’s natural to be craving your favourite foods. The problem with restaurants in Cairo during Ramadan is that the majority of them serve the same things – grills, mezzes, Oriental sweets, ad nauseam.

But what if, just what if, we broke out of the monotony of hummus and rice and tried something different. We did exactly that and, low and behold, the world hasn’t ended.

At Zamalek restaurant, Jambalaya, you can order your food in advance, or show up about an hour before fetar and order from the restaurant. There was no set menu, just their usual food with some twists.

We arrived at the restaurant an hour prior before the call to prayer and were greeted heartily by a waiter who showed us to our seats and left us with the menus. We had previously tried deciphering the online menu to no avail, so the friendly waiter came back and explained.

There were Spanish dishes and international ones – for those who don’t like surprises. We asked the waiter to recommend something.

We opted for the Mushroom Cream soup with Broccoli (30LE) which was a great start. Although the mushroom slices were quite thin, they were fresh and plentiful in quantity. The broccoli is incorporated in the actual broth, giving a subtle flavouring to the soup. It was light and perfect in quantity to keep you eager for more food.

From the appetisers, the waiter advised the Pimientos del Piquillo (30LE); slices of roasted bell peppers covered with melted Halloumi cheese. The flavours were in perfect harmony and our appetite was soaring.

From the main courses, we opted for a Pollo Empanado (60LE); fried chicken breast topped with mozzarella cheese and fried potato cubes. While the breast was cut a little thin, it was tender and cooked well. The potato cubes were perfect, but not nearly enough of them were on the plate.

As for the sides, we were served regular yellow rice with paprika instead of the mentioned paprika risotto, and coleslaw instead of roasted vegetables. We weren’t pleased with this substitution, especially when we were not notified.

The second main course, Pollo Con Salsa de Crema de Pimiento (68 LE), sounded delicious in theory; grilled chicken breasts stuffed with mushroom and spinach and covered in paprika sauce. Unfortunately, the chicken was over cooked, the mushrooms were missing and the paprika sauce was tasteless.

We opted for a Spanish classic with dessert; Churros (68 LE). Fried dough with cinnamon, sugar and chocolate syrup sounds ridiculously heavy for a post-fetar dessert, but we were pleasantly surprised when we found it to be hot, light and delicious without being greasy.

Service and hospitality at Jambalaya were both excellent. The tables were set and beverages and soups were available served promptly, and the dishes were served in the correct order with ample room in between. Unfortunately, the consistency of the food itself let down what, on paper, reads like an excellent meal.