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

Maintaining the quality of two completely different cuisines – in this case, sushi and steak – is no easy task, though One Oak proves otherwise. Located right by the entrance of Tivoli Dome in Sheikh Zayed, One Oak is already a favourite in the area.  

After walking in, we were greeted by a waiter and guided to our seats which were next to the glass windows overlooking Tivoli. After being handed our menus and picking our dishes for the night, we were served a basket of bread alongside peas with soy sauce and nigella sativa, as well as a peculiar cinnamon and sugar butter. The latter was cut into thin, circular slices and boasted a pleasing balance of sweet and savoury when paired with the bread. The peas, meanwhile, were boiled and served in their pods; a nice, more refreshing nibbler of a dish.

From the menu, we started with Cheesy Crispy Camembert (55LE) as an appetizer; six triangular pieces of camembert cheese, fried evenly and served with a side of sweet chilli sauce. The cheese pieces were hot enough to keep the cheese inside melted, with the chilli sauce cutting through its richness and making it lighter in taste. The cheese itself was rich in flavour and the quantity was just enough to prepare us for the main dishes.

For our mains, we chose a Tenderloin Fillet (120LE) a sushi platter of Pink Oak Roll, Pesto Roll and Spider Roll. We ordered our steak well-done, and that's what we got; many will argue that a steak should be cooked to a medium-rare, but our steak was cooked evenly and wasn’t chewy or rough – testament to the quality of meat used by One Oak. The steak came with well-cooked, well-seasoned potato wedges and a pleasant lemon butter sauce.

Moving on to our colourful sushi platter, the Spider Roll (62LE/6 pieces) – shrimp tempura, salmon tempura and Teriyaki sauce – was full of flavour, boasting perfect balance between the shrimp and salmon. Of the restaurant’s signature rolles, the Pink Oak Roll (48LE/4 pieces) – salmon, crab mayo, shrimp tempura, avocado, cucumber and sesame – was large in size, but what made it really interesting was the different phases of chewing and textures, with each element contributing equally to the overall taste. Next in line was the Pesto Roll (46LE/4 pieces) – shrimp tempura, salmon, avocado, cucumber, cream cheese and pesto sauce – transpired to essentially be a combination of the first two rolls in taste, though the addition of pesto gave the roll an edge that lacked in the Pink Oak.

Washing our food down, we ordered a One Oak Signature Cocktail (33LE), which contained banana, blueberry, raspberry, kiwi, fresh peach and pineapple – and it was every bit as fresh and fruity as it sounds, despite the blackberry and banana dominating the taste.

Preparing to put a cherry on top of our meal, we opted for a Nutella Cheese Cake (33LE). The round cheesecake had a delicate biscuit base, a lush body of cream cheese and a thin layer of Nutella over the surface. As delicious as it was, it was clearly taken out of the fridge and served before resting, so it was cold and a little stiff.

Despite the imperfections, One Oak delivered on most of its promises – the key now is consistency.