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

It is easy
to dismiss the boats lining the Nile between Maadi and Garden City as tourist
spots. Often empty unless a tour bus is
parked out front, these restaurants and cafés are easily overlooked in favour
of other trendier venues. However, at Nile
Holding Misr, we have found a pleasant café that is worth your time.

Located on
the Garden City Corniche across from the Four Seasons Nile Plaza and next to
the Grand Hyatt Cairo, Nile Holding has two docked boats. Les Etoiles offers a fine dining experience
in a white linen dining room of the larger boat, while the dining room of the
smaller boat is reserved for weddings and parties.

However, it is the tented deck café that
caught this reviewer’s attention. The
couches may be a bit low for the table, but the venue is an otherwise
comfortable and sunny spot, perfect for an afternoon lunch by the Nile.  

Both the
French onion soup (20LE) and the mezza platter (30LE) are delicious. The gratinee
soup is served in a large bowl with several thick pieces of bread covering a
dark savoury broth of onions. The mezza platter is a small sampling of
sambousak and kebbeh alongside hummus, tehina, baba ghanough and minted yogurt. The dips are fresh and creamy, while the tehina
and yogurt were this reviewer’s favourites.

A full menu
is available if you want a heartier meal. It includes grilled meats, pastas and
seafood. The penne arrabiata (27LE) is a simple but well-executed dish. The
pasta is perfectly cooked, tossed with just enough spicy pepper sauce and
topped with a sprig of fresh basil. Considering the quality of ingredients and
presentation, the prices at this café are certainly of better value than we had
expected.  

Shisha is
available at Nile Holding Misr Café in a number of fruity flavours for 25LE,
including the disposable pipe. The shisha is nothing special, though; and the
coals burn out too quickly.

Hot and cold drinks are well-made at this café;
both the Turkish coffee and lemon juice are pleasant, though they are a little
pricy at 16LE and 18LE respectively. Since the deck becomes Pub 180 by night,
beer, wine and cocktails are available after 3PM.