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

Weekdays in this city are usually split between commuting through rush hour and nine hour desk jobs; and with most salary-men being confined to their respective offices, food delivery in Cairo is usually the preferred choice as a means to lunch. However, Cairo has many alternatives to the typical fast food options and most of them provide unique as well as tasty menu selections.

Having first opened as a delivery-only eatery on the Cairo-Alex Desert Road, YUM now operates out of a second venue in Mohadndiseen. Offering a wide variety of miniature pies, pasties and rolls, YUM’s menu contains everything from chicken and mushroom pies (26.50LE) to veggie pasties (17LE) and BBQ beef rolls (18LE). As for desserts, hungry patrons can choose from the lighter fruity almond slice (18LE) to a denser option of a Chocolate Fudge Caramel Brownie (21LE).

After a brief struggle with the operator manning the phone, we placed our order for one pizza pie (28LE), a classic beef pie (24LE), spinach and feta roll (19.50LE) and a zesty lemon crumble (19LE).

The pies were packaged neatly in a cardboard carton while the spinach and feta roll was wrapped tightly in a baking sheet and sleeved within a paper bag. Arriving in a small, plastic container, the lemon crumble had also survived the trip without incident.

Buttery with a delectable crunch, both pies were cooked to perfection; the pizza pie contained all the ingredients usually found on a pizza in addition to slices of salami and beef pepperoni with molten mozzarella fusing the contents together. The classic beef pie was baked with rich ground beef and visible, yet inoffensive, helping of diced onions. While under-seasoned, the spinach and feta roll, meanwhile, was wrapped within a crumbly pastry with the ratio of spinach and feta complementing each other beautifully.

With our savoury treats being so appetising, we were sorely disappointed with the flavour of our lemon crumble. Tasting suspiciously like sweetened soap, the crumble had only the faintest taste of lemon. The texture of the crumble, meanwhile, was just as unappealing as we could taste sugar granules embalmed within the dense amount of shortening used to create the filling.

Excluding the subpar dessert, YUM impressed us with their filling, wholesome pies and rolls that provided us with a much desired alternative to usual lunchtime options across Cairo.