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

If you’ve never had a taste of fish from the North Sea, German
food franchise Nordsee brings you a piece of Germany on a plate.

A popular European fast food chain that apparently dates
back to the 19th century, Nordsee has opened its first branch in
Egypt, at Cairo’s Citystars mall across from On the Border and Romano’s
Macaroni Grill.

Decked out in eye-catching colours and comfortable seating,
the venue has a wide open space and a European design, which gives off more of
a restaurant vibe than that of a fast food chain. Nordsee seems to be a
combination of both: the meal options are displayed on screens behind the
counter where you order, while fresh fish lie on open ice counters below.

The menu is printed on paper (fast-food-style) and divided
into two basic sections: fast food items such as sandwiches and meals (25LE to
54LE) and main course dishes (60LE to 190LE). Seeing as this reviewer was
starving hungry, we decided to select from the main course items.

There’s nothing as soothing as a hot bowl of soup after a long, tiring
day; so we tried La Mer fish soup (35LE for a small portion, 50LE for a large). The soup
was a fine blend of the delicious flavours of chopped tomato, parsley, fish
and shrimp in a creamy but not too thick broth. The soup was served with a side
dish of fresh baguette bread, and was a therapeutic and much needed starter to
our meal.

For our main course, we tried the house special (120LE) and
the Saithe fillet champignon (80LE). The house special consists of a portion of
fried Pollack fish (a type of cod fish also known as Saithe fish or Bacalhau) under a piece of steamed salmon steak and two cocktail shrimps on top with a side of potatoes and remoulade sauce (a mayonnaise-based sauce similar to tartar sauce).

Unfortunately, the fried fish was too greasy, and we didn’t
appreciate the fish’s flavour; but that’s probably because we weren’t accustomed to it. Fortunately,
the salmon steak more than compensated for it with its exceptional taste and
flavour.

The Saithe fillet champignon is breaded, baked in the oven and
covered in melted Swiss Emmenthal cheese and mushrooms, with a side of
parsley potatoes and remoulade sauce. This reviewer
was disappointed in the taste of the baked fillet, as its skin left a peculiar
taste in our mouths.

Service at Nordsee was prompt and upmost professional; the
waiter was very knowledgeable about the meals’ ingredients and the European fish
flavours, and he was quick to recommend and advise us on our selections.

Although Nordsee’s prices are disproportionately high for a
fast food chain in Egypt, we have to bear in mind that the franchise imports
all its fish ingredients from the North Sea; so you should be getting quality
fish in return for such high prices. Nonetheless, this reviewer left Nordsee
full, satisfied and impressed.