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

A very serious problem that has proven to be the undoing of many a restaurant in Cairo is that of consistency. Many a time, Cairo 360 has been impressed, occasionally even wowed, by an evening of fine dining, only to find that, quite often, the very same restaurant becomes a shadow of its self down the line – and not even that far down the line.

Hoping this wouldn’t be the case, we dropped by Il Mulino in Maadi – a classic and favourite in the area. We were seated in the cosy outdoor area on the wooden furniture under the patio umbrellas, before a waiter arrived with our menus and a bottle of water.

The menu covers a wide range of breakfasts, salads, soups, sandwiches and main courses, as well as bakery items and an assortment of desserts.

We opted for an order of Bruschetta (18LE) and Grilled Haloumi (44LE) from the appetisers, and Beef Stroganoff (89LE) and Pollo Al Limone (64LE) for our mains. While we waited, we were served a fresh bread basket with butter and pesto; both of which were delicious and whetted our appetites.

The Bruschetta and Haloumi arrived first. The Bruschetta featured tomatoes spiced with garlic, basil and olive oil and possessed a very tasty twang.  The slightly toasted slices of brown bread worked very well with the tomatoes.

With diced tomatoes garlic, basil and olive oil, the bruschetta had a fresh and sharp taste, with everything seeming fresh and full of flavour, while the bread that the concoction sat on toasted perfectly. The Grilled Haloumi was similarly successful, featuring three thick cuts of cheese, grilled to release flavour. Combined together, the two appetiszers were delicious.

The main courses arrived shortly afterwards, but we were a little disappointed by the Stroganoff, primarily because it didn’t resemble stroganoff in consistency. The sauce not being creamy enough and the use of bell peppers and pickled cucumbers made it taste a little too far from the classic Russian dish. With that said, however, the meat itself was well cooked and the sauce, while unauthentic, was still flavourful and seasoned very well, while the side of basmati rice was pleasantly fluffy and well-cooked.

The Pollo Al Limone fared much better. Served with sides of thick-cut, well-fried potatoes and grilled and seasoned vegetables, the portions were extremely generous. A total of four grilled chicken breasts drenched in the slightly creamy and savoury lemon sauce made for a tasty and filling meal.

Il Mulino sports a very comfortable and laid back atmosphere, complimented by friendly staff and generally very decent food. Il Mulino seems to have strayed a little far from originally serving just authentic Italian food, but that may not necessarily be a bad thing.