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

Enjoying beauty and art requires brainpower and good food. Fortunately, Maison 69 has got you covered. Their newly opened branch created quite the buzz a while ago with its bakery and café inside. From fancier dishes to casual to al fresco eats, you have plenty of choices as you browse through Maison 69’s mind-blowing interior and creative brands. 

Many restaurants have embraced food fusion in some form, the most common being simply having various options from other cuisines available on the same menu. What sets Pink Blanket Mama apart the most, however, is that they took fusion to a different level by creating a menu inspired by a short paragraph that might make their concept a bit more understable. “ Mama was born in Cairo, grew up in London, cultured in Rome, fell in love in Marrakech, got married in Barcelona, started her career in Shanghai, got promoted in Taiwan, raised her children in New York, and she spent her summers in Tulum…do the maths.” This short story meant that their menu was different and filled with international flavours, which sounded rather exciting. As we entered their seating area, we noticed how laid back and chill it was, with a massive wall filled with art on one side and El Sherouk Library on the other side. Unfortunately, the books can only be purchased before reading, but aesthetically, it was rather pleasing to see the marriage of food, culture, and fashion in one open space.

Shortly after taking a seat on the bleacher seats, we browsed through the menu and chose a few Asian items, but were told that the Dim Sum and Noodles sections were all unavailable. We then decided to go for one appetiser to share, the Patatas Bravas (LE 105) – smashed fried potatoes, mama’s special spices, mozzarella, mama’s tomato sauce, sun dried oil, pesto oil, grated grana, and fresh basil. The dish was a harmony of delightful flavours; from the spicy, tangy tomato sauce to the buttery potatoes, the famous Spanish tapas was a winner for sure. 

Even though there were more options on the menu, the atmosphere gave off drinks and dessert vibes rather than a full-on meal or actual dishes. Therefore, we decided to get two smoothies to enjoy the ambience properly. We had ordered the Booster (LE 50) – fresh avocado, fresh banana, milk, and honey, and we also got the Sinful One (LE 60) – Cherry puree, blueberry puree, and fresh banana. The smoothies were sweet, but the banana had a funky aftertaste; the taste of overripe bananas which was quite prevalent in both smoothies. We enjoyed the atmosphere and appetiser, and we cannot wait to give their desserts and main dishes a try!