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

It’s been a while since we paid a visit to Thai cuisine specialist, Birdcage. Located inside the InterContinental Cairo Semiramis in Garden City, it still retains its elegant atmosphere, cosy ambiance and fantastic service.

While checking the menu, the waiter welcomed us with a platter of Prawn Crackers with two dips and a shot of an earthy ginger-infused hibiscus drink. The menu has a wide variety and plenty of options that will definitely please all tastes, but the Degustation Menu seemed like a great idea to fulfil our Thai cravings, because go big or go home. The degustation menu is selected by Chef Narong Butsriphoom and it costs 235LE per person with a minimum of 2 persons.

Starting with the appetisers, each diner got a platter that consists of Poh Pia Pak, Yam Neua Yang and Satay Kai. In case you’re wondering what did you just read, the Poh Pia Pak is simply two pieces of deep fried spring rolls with a scrumptious crunch to them, each filled with well-seasoned Thai-style vegetables with a delicate ginger and garlic flavour, and served with sweet chilli sauce.

As for the Yam Neua Yang, it’s a Thai steak salad. Served in wonton bowl, it consists of slices of tender beef, cucumber, onion and cherry tomatoes and mixed with Thai herbs that had a bold cilantro flavour that we really enjoyed. Meanwhile, the Satay Kai is two skewers of moist grilled chicken, served with a slightly-sweet, nutty and chunky peanut sauce that definitely stole the show.

Before we moved on to the mains, the waiter came with Tom Yum Taley soup. The lemongrass and galangal based soup contained pieces of mushrooms, perfectly cooked shrimp, sea bass and calamari. We loved the generous amount of seafood in it, but the flavours of the lemongrass and galangal were too strong for our taste.

Moments later, the waiter came with all of the main courses, which are meant to be shared. We’ll start with the Koong Kratiem Prik Thai; presented beautifully, it consisted of stir-fried shrimp and sautéed bell pepper tossed in black pepper, garlic and chilli sauce. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and the sauce boasted delicate flavours with some sweetness to it and a flawless glaze-like consistency.

The Keang Keiow Wan Kai was just as good. A bowl is filled with pieces of tender chicken swimming in green curry and coconut milk sauce and served with plain basmati rice. The fiery green curry was balanced by a hint of sweetness from the coconut milk, creating a mouth-watering sauce. This was definitely our favourite dish of the whole meal.

Last but not least, the Bah Mee Pad Pak was a simple stir-fried egg noodle dish with broccoli, thin slices of vegetables and a light soy sauce which had a kick of sweetness and a noticeable garlic flavour. Simplicity at its best.

 Keeping it light with dessert, the Pollamai Roum is a platter of fresh fruit and a scoop of fruity ice cream. The ice cream had a bold mango flavour with an apricot after taste and we loved the tangy and zesty flavours of the fresh passion fruit with the ice cream.

All in all, we had a great time at Birdcage. Apart from the cosy ambiance and the professional but warm service, the degustation menu represented the restaurant perfectly and fulfilled its goal in that it’s put together to give you a little taste of everything.