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

Visiting
Dahab and not eating at Ali Baba is like strolling by the beach on a hot day
and not taking a dip; something absolutely impossible. As one of
the oldest restaurants on Dahab’s Mashraba walkway, Ali Baba has catered to
countless tourists and locals alike. Ali Baba provides not only top-notch
seafood; but also a great and relaxing atmosphere to enjoy a drink and a shisha
in.

The restaurant is huge and located right down by the water’s edge; it’s hard to
miss with its huge sign and faux fountain right in front of the entrance.
Furnished like many of the other restaurants in Dahab, the restaurant’s comfy white couches,
coloured cushions and paper lanterns add to the overall bohemian atmosphere
that this Red Sea resort is abundant with.

While this
restaurant boasts a lengthy international menu, you’re best off ordering
seafood here. You can order seafood in individual portions off their menu or
have your pick from their catch of the day. They always seem to have a fresh
supply of fish, calamari and shrimp; but make sure that you haggle or you’ll end
with an overwhelming bill. You can
order fish, calamari, and shrimp or even lobsters (whatever is fresh) cooked in
any way you want. Be specific and they’ll make it; you can even make
additions to recipes that they already have. This reviewer ordered the fish, a lobster and some
shrimp off their fresh catch of the day.

Food
presentation here is also spectacular; they’ll bring out the cooked seafood on
a platter with fruits and veggies. Complementary salads, bread and rice are of
course included. Our order of shrimp was grilled to perfection, seasoned with
only the most essential of spices, and the fried fish was not too oily and
perfectly tender.

If you’re
looking for something a little unconventional, you should definitely try their
Ali Baba shrimp (85LE); jumbo shrimp stuffed with smoked salmon and cheese,
then deep-fried – can you say awesome?

Seafood
isn’t your thing? No worries; this place also serves up a mean mix grill (90LE)
platter, which comes on a hot plate just like a Mexican fajita. While the kofta
was all kinds of tender, the grilled chicken was a little dry and left a lot to
be desired. If you’re
feeling a little experimental, try their black and fire chicken (55LE): grilled
chicken topped with mushroom, pepper and cheddar cheese; this concoction was
both fresh and extremely spicy.

As far as
desserts go, the om ali is where it’s at. A healthy portion served in a
piping hot clay dish; we can honestly say this is some of the best dishes of om
ali that we’ve ever had.

Ali Baba might be on the pricier side of dining spots in Dahab, but their
food is definitely worth it; just make sure to haggle if you’re buying seafood
in bulk, or you’ll get swindled.