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

From Enab Beirut and Mori Sushi, to Burger King, Chili’s and Starbucks, Heliopolis’ Tivoli Dome has it all when it comes to the kind of crowd-pleasing restaurants and cafes Egyptians love so much. One of the complex’s newest additions, however, is a little more polished and quaint than its neighbours.

In addition to basic outdoor seating overlooking the Tivoli fountain, Malmö has a small indoor area that shows simplicity with its plain white walls, grey floor, blue and grey chairs, and the simple touches of black and wood from the exposed service bar.

It all looks great, but there’s not much to point you towards its identity – one that, based on the name, you would be well within your right to assume is Swedish.

But what we understood from the items on the menu is that it offers random dishes from around Europe. The starters were a bit underwhelming so we just opted for three Malmö’s special dishes; Swedish Meatballs (95LE), (Ukrainian) Royal Chicken Kiev and (Norwegian) Salmon Steak (160LE).

Thing didn’t get off to the best of starts, with the Royal Chicken Kiev disappointing on several fronts. The butter-stuffed chicken was bland, extremely dry and the crust fell apart as soon as we started cutting into the chicken. On the bright side, the fries and the sautéed vegetables were perfectly seasoned and cooked. 

Things picked up from there, though; despite the meatballs being a bit dry and needing to be juicer and tenderer, we loved how it was perfectly seasoned and had a hint of fresh herbs in it. The brown gravy had a beautifully smooth consistency with simple yet bold and rich flavours as it should, but what really surprised us was the hint of sweetness from the blueberry compote on top of the perfectly executed mashed potatoes. It’s a complete bite when you take a little of everything together that’s full of sweet, tart, creamy, rich, and herby flavours that all go perfectly together.

As for the salmon steak, it was flaky, moist, and the sauce vierge  (a mix of diced tomatoes, onions and basil tossed in a rich lemon and olive oil-base sauce) added fresh, herby and zesty flavours without overpowering the salmon itself. The spinach and beans were very simple and seasoned well, and we loved the buttery baby potato too.

We were dying to try the savoury waffles, especially the chicken with lemon and pepper sauce, but we decided to save it for dessert. There were three choices; berry compote, assorted fresh fruits and bananas with chocolate, but the waiter insisted on the chocolate and bananas. The waffles on its own had a beautifully crispy exterior to the point that the ice cream didn’t make it soggy, yet it was very fluffy and light within. However, adding six slices of bananas was a letdown and the dark chocolate sauce was too bitter and overshadowed the flawless waffle.

All in all, we left with mixed feelings. Chicken Kiev aside, our meal was just a few minor adjustments from being flawless. The service was great, the flavours and the venue showed an excellent simplicity. Moving forward, however, Malmö needs an identity – and a strong one at that considering its location.