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

Known for introducing a large culinary variety encompassing Italian, French, to Indian, Asian, and Oriental cuisine in its lavish weekly brunch – and for its show-stopping chocolates and desserts – The Nile Ritz Carlton’s Culina has quickly established itself as a go-to favourite. This Ramadan, we headed to Culina which is teaming up with Bab El Sharq for an all-inclusive Oriental fetar.       

Culina’s spacious indoor area has a cosy ambiance and a festive atmosphere, thanks to its colourful juice and salad bars, as well as the bread station. Overlooking the Egyptian Museum, the ambiance of the outdoor area has a unique and breathtaking vibe with the live music, the intriguing smell of grilled kofta and the weather completingthe whole experience.

The buffet (320LE per person) consists of different stations;  soup, salad bar, side dishes, Ramadan drinks, desserts, turkey with biryani rice as one of the main specialties, while the outdoor area boasts all the grills including kofta, lamb, not to mention a special shawerma station.

We started our meal with the salad bar which had interesting choices like yellow watermelon salad and mashed sweet potato salad, alongside some classics including  hummus, tehina, stuffed vine leaves and fattoush.

The food was served in rectangular glass chafing dishes which preserved the heat and kept everything fresh. With so many varieties, we couldn’t try everything, but the mashed potato, kobeba, mombar, sambousak and rokaak were too tempting to pass up.

The mashed potato was super cheesy with a smooth texture, while the kobeba was perfectly seasoned and had a perfectly crispy exterior. As for the sambousak with cheese, the dough was soft and the cheese had some mint in it which added a refreshing depth. The only thing that fell short, however, was the rokak, which was very soggy and needed much more minced meat.

We also tried the biryani rice and the shawerma. The biryani was tasty and super fluffy, though the shawerma lacked flavours; but when paired with the rice and garlic sauce, the overall taste was elevated. 

Luckily, the disappointing shawerma meat didn't extend to the grill section; the kofta was  juicy and well-seasoned and so was the shish tawooq, but the lamb stole the show by its tender texture and delicious flavours.

We wrapped things up with Om Ali, konafa nabolseya and, since Culina is known for making the best chocolate desserts in town, we couldn’t leave without trying the only chocolate item on the buffet, the brownies. Topped with fresh fruits, the brownies were infused with heavenly chocolate and were delicious.  

The Om Ali, on the otherhand, was quite dry and lacked nuts, though the konafa nabolseya saved the day, perfectly combining the crispy konafa and stretchy melted akawi cheese.

While it falls into one of the steeper choices for fetar this Ramadan, Culina's relaxing ambiance, the variety of food and the flawless service are worth it, even if just once.