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

Like some kind of abandoned
post-apocalyptic wilderness, Road 90 in Fifth Settlement isn’t the warmest area
in Cairo. Half-finished buildings and a distinct lack of foot traffic on the
roads might wane on the draw to visitors, but there are a few attractions that
out-of-towners, so to speak, should make the trip for.

One such place is the Dusit Thani Lakeview
Cairo. The Thai hotel group has several chains across Thailand and the
Philippines, and the Cairo branch hosts a number of impressive bars and
restaurants. We were very impressed with restaurant Ruen Thai, and so we were
excited by the sound of the Blue Rose Bar.

The lobby of the hotel is large, bright and
airy, and is accentuated by several pieces of peculiar post-modern sculptures. Taking
the corridor to the right of the entrance will lead you to both aforementioned
spots.

Stepping into the Blue Rose Bar is a little
bit of a shock; the subtle whites and beiges of the lobby and corridor are
blown out by the bar’s dark and aluminous colour theme. The space is anchored
in the middle by the square bar, which is surrounded by stools. Seating areas
are spaced out, and
flanked by giant glass panels featuring abstract rose-images, and almost-ceiling-high mirrors
and curtains.

At one end of the room, four small screens collectively show
scientifically questionable animations of the earth and
the moon shifting in space, in the company of twinkling and shooting stars. On the other wall is a much more impressive wall-instalation, where a giant carved rose dominates the whole space.

The long, thin menu opens up like an
accordion to reveal a whole host of options. Beer is available from 26LE
upwards; with Corona setting you back at 65LE and a glass of Heineken draught
at 32LE. A range of mocktails are available at 30LE, and every type of spirit
is available, although no wine is listed on the menu.

A rather strong helping of gin made the dry
martini (60LE) very strong – exactly how we like our drinks – while Carrie
Bradshaw’s favourite drink the Cosmopolitan (70LE) was pretty pedestrian and
had an unbalanced taste.

A cranberry margarita (70LE), while
completely unobjectionable, made the salt on the rim as dangerous to its
drinker as pretzels are to George Bush. There were some unpleasant choking fits,
and the salt also found its way to the bottom of the glass, which in turn led
to more choking. At the time of visit, the bar was completely
empty during an 11PM visit, and the hotel as a whole seemed pretty deserted.