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

On a sunny Thursday afternoon, we decided to venture outside our office and walk down the street to have a bite. The Lebanese Bakery was the first to catch our attention, so we went for it! We sat on the bakery’s balcony, overlooking a lively street in Maadi, reminding us vividly of breakfast at home. 

To get us started, we decided on the hummus, which came with freshly baked white and whole wheat pita bread (42 LE). The hummus was a great start to our meal; it was perfectly creamy and nutty, with a light olive oil flavour and a good crunch from the many seeds that topped the dip, including pumpkin and sesame. The bread was as light as air, soft, and barely needed any effort to tear.

Next, we decided to order a selection of the mini Mouajjanet, including the kebbeh, beef sambousek, spinach and sfiha (45 LE). The pastry dough was a bit dense and chewy, with the flavour profile of the spinach and sfiha (beef and pomegranate molasses) aromatic and well-seasoned. The kebbeh and the beef sambousek, on the other hand, were bland. 

As we moved on to the main dishes, we picked the bakery’s Baked Eggs and Sujuk (EGP 76), which was extremely flavourful and fulfilling. The sausage was well-spiced and had some kick to it, and the eggs were perfectly cooked with the yolk perfectly runny. The dough, however, was a bit burned on the bottom, resulting in an overall chewy and stale texture.

We also ordered the Beef Shawarma roll (89 LE), and once again, the bread was fluffy and light. The shawarma was topped with pickled onions, tomatoes, and tahini, all complimenting each other really well. The beef, however, was overcooked and dry. The waiters recommended their signature roasted potatoes with thyme, Batata Zaatar (49 LE), that came with a spicy roasted pepper dipping sauce. The potatoes were overcooked, with their skins falling apart, and were also a bit soggy and quite oily. The flavours also didn’t come through, as the dish needed a bit of salt. 

To wash our meal down, we had some basic brunch drinks, a Cappuccino (44 LE) and an Iced Sweetened Latte (EGP 49). The coffee was quite strong in both drinks, the cappuccino was the perfect medium between creamy and foamy, and the iced latte was just the right amount of sweet that didn’t overpower the coffee flavour. For dessert, we picked the Knafeh (79 LE), which was also recommended by the waiter. It was different from the usual Egyptian knafeh, where the bottom layer was pizza dough, topped with cheese and semolina and drizzled with sugar syrup. The creation was definitely on the sweeter side, and the different textures didn’t mesh well. 

Overall, our experience could’ve been better, but the food was delicious and, under the right circumstances, could’ve been enjoyed even more.