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

Cairo is not short of new restaurants introducing creative dining concepts, especially within new dining zones the likes of Arkan, Galleria40 and Westown Hub. Of the many dining areas, we paid a visit to the latter, and chose the Food Circus; possibly one of the most delightful experiences we’ve had to date.

Simulating a wooden kitchen cutting board, the Food Circus menu involves some promising choices including Salmon Ravioli (75LE), Roulade Chicken in Provencal Sauce (75LE), not to mention Seafood in a Shell (85LE)—the Food Circus signature seafood dish smothered in fresh cream sauce, parmigiano cheese and cooked in a shell.

We kicked off dinner with two orders of tomato soup served with croutons(27LE), which came in hot, fresh –perhaps a little too peppery – but overall quite tasty. After sipping our soups to finish, our Welcome Dip and Bread came in a little later.

Similar to focaccia bread in thickness, our welcome bread was freshly baked and was served with delicious cream cheese and chicken liver dips. The crispness of the bread and the exotic taste in our chicken liver spread were just the perfect treat we needed before our dinner was served; only we would’ve preferred if our bread didn’t have a salt topping, making it a little too salty.     

As our main dishes, we opted for Entrecote in Special Sauce—well-done— served with sautéed vegetables and fries (105LE) and Chicken Cordon Blue (80LE).

Served in a silver platter and placed over a stand with candles underneath to preserve the heat, our entrecote was the highlight of our dinner. The sauce—which maintains its secret recipe by the chef— was similar in texture and taste to the Argentinian Chimichurri sauce; herby, flavorful and just the right escort to our beef which was tender and juicy.

Stuffed with roast beef, mozzarella and crispy fried to perfection, our chicken cordon blue was nothing short of delicious.      

After a very satisfying dinner, came time for drinks and dessert, of which we ordered a Vimto Cocktail (25LE) and Brownies Ice Cream Sandwich (35LE). Our cocktail was a mixture of 7Up, lemon-mint and Vimto syrup; sour, refreshing, with the Vimto’s sugary syrup dominating the taste. 

Similar in texture to sponge cake and served with vanilla ice cream, our Brownie was soft, crisp and delightful.

Overall, our experience at the Food Circus was fantastic. With dozens of international dishes, the restaurant introduces many flavors catering to many tastes; no wonder they call it a circus. We specifically enjoyed our entrecote; only next time, we will try the Seafood in a Shell.