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

The
neighbourhood of Mohandiseen isn’t exactly known for its vivid nightlife.
Though a safe bet for shopping, eating or having a cup of coffee, it is not the
first place that comes to mind when going for a night out. However, that
doesn’t mean there aren’t any bars in Mohandiseen. Cairo Rumours is located on Syria
Street just above Asian restaurant Chopsticks.

After entering, take the stairs up,
and you will immediately find yourself on the dance floor of the venue. At the
time of our visit, the place was extremely dark and there weren’t many other
guests present. There are a lot of high tables and some seats at the bar. A
mirrored wall gives the impression is bigger than it actually is. We settled
for one of the high tables in a corner. Tables are very close to one another, and so
it wasn’t the most comfortable seating arrangement. Despite being one of the
few customers, it took the staff a while to finally deliver our menu.

The menu
was one big collection of grammar and spelling mistakes such as; ‘coctal’, ‘bloody
merry’, ‘Black Russiar’ and ‘Bena Colade’. We opted for a Negroni (50LE),
Margarita (50LE) and a Long Island (60LE).

After
waiting a good fifteen minutes, our drinks finally arrived and this is where
the disappointment began. The Negroni had the cough syrup taste it’s supposed
to have, but it was a bit overdone, and ironically made us cough and splutter.
The Margarita was more of a slush puppy gone
wrong, and we struggled to find any alcohol in it. The Long Island however, was high on spirits with an overdose of gin. Although it tasted a bit bitterer than it should, it definitely got our blood
running. Throughout the night, we were presented with a complimentary nut mix.

The
music at the time of our visit was pretty bland, and actually stopped
every once in a while (usually just as we were screaming to each other how disappointing
the drinks were and how we didn’t like the place). In the meantime, the
resident DJ was getting ready to set up. He plays every Monday and and Friday
from 11PM and sticks to r&b and hip-hop. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
there is live entertainment. There is also a small food menu with small Asian
dishes prepared by downstairs restaurant Chopsticks. 

Though this isn’t the worst place we’ve ever been to, we weren’t too impressed. The venue
lacked atmosphere and the drinks were concocted very poorly. However, it is the
only bar in close proximity to the area, and it probably wouldn’t hurt to knock down a beer here. As
long as you stay away from the ‘coctals’, you’ll be fine.