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

With the latest food fads fading in and out of Cairo’s eclectic cafe and dessert scene, we were fairly unsurprised to discover the opening of Di’macaron at Heliopolis’ Citystars. Specialising solely in the little, circular pieces of heaven – otherwise known as macaroons – their small booth sits in the walkway between Zara and Mango.

The soothing colours of their geometric logo contrast against the otherwise minimalist colour scheme and being in the middle of the busy mall, predictably, no seating is offered. The glass display cabinet shows off a variety of eight different flavours, ready to be packaged in an assortment of attractive gift boxes. Cute, tiny boxes of two (12LE), boxes holding eight (40LE), boxes of 20 (100LE) and boxes of 40 (200LE) are available. At the time of our visit, a promotional discount was running on the two largest options. Also on display was a large pyramid of macaroons, implying that they can also cater for large parties.

We opted for a box of eight covering one of each of the asic flavours; strawberry, chocolate, date, vanilla, caramel, pistachio, blueberry and coffee. Each biscuit was smaller than those generally offered by well-known competitors, as well as having overly soft outer shells which lacked the usual crunch. Despite this, each macaroon was deliciously fresh, with a modest amount of gooey filling.

The vanilla and pistachio choices were particularly subtle in their flavouring, as was the bright pink strawberry option. On the other hand, the chocolate was milky and rich whilst the coffee was authentically bitter and bitterly authentic. Despite the obvious artificial colouring and flavouring, the blueberry was one of the most interesting. The caramel was deliciously sweet, and the date flavour tasted as though it had been made with real fruit.

Although not exceptional, Di’macaron serve up fresh and tasty variations of the sought after dessert. This, along with a charming appearance and attractive gift boxes makes for a safe option when shopping for macaroons – and only macaroons.