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

As
its name may indicate, Viking is a restaurant with a medieval Scandinavian
theme, which may be an odd choice for a restaurant in Cairo; especially one
that serves international cuisine that borders on fast food.

Located
in Heliopolis on Omar Ibn El Khattab Street, the restaurant is basically a villa with a large
terrace and wooden chairs, and two dining floors inside. The villa’s walls are
painted orange, the windows are distinctively circular, and a few Viking helmets
are painted here and there. The restaurant’s clientele is predominantly young,
with some families dining there too.

The
photos on the menu are appetising, and this reviewer was pleased to find that
the dishes served were identical to their depiction in the photos. A variety of
soups and starters are available starting from15LE, and main dishes include
fajitas, quesadillas and pizzas (31LE to 38LE), as well as sandwiches and burgers (33LE
to 39LE).

For
appetisers, we ordered the Viking sampler (53LE); a tasty platter of fried
mozzarella sticks, potato skins with cheese and salami, fried calamari, and hot
wings served with ketchup, mustard and tartar sauce. The mozzarella sticks were
delicious and didn’t fall apart, the potato skins were full of flavour, and the
calamari tasted great with the tartar sauce.

For
a main course, we sampled the tampicandi; a steak and taco dish served with
spiced rice. The steak was a little tough but tasty, and the taco was crispy and
freshly made; so much so that it was difficult to eat without
accidentally breaking it into pieces. The dish as a whole was decent, although
a little too salty all over. We also ordered the sea bed dish of fish fillet,
with oysters, shrimp and fusilli pasta made with a white lemon and dill sauce, and
topped with slices of salmon. The pasta was cooked flawlessly, while the sauce perfectly
highlighted the flavour of the fresh seafood.

For
dessert, try the popular Oreo cheese cake: vanilla ice cream sandwiched between
two layers of crushed Oreo biscuits and mixed nuts with a layer of caramel, all
topped off with strawberry jam. While there was absolutely no cheese involved
in this cheesecake, it tasted criminally good. The combination of Oreo biscuits
with caramel, ice cream and strawberry jam is nothing short of genius.

The
restaurant has a very complicated drinks menu full of juices starting at 12LE
and cocktails starting 20LE. We ordered the passion mix, which is made of mango
juice and whipped cream. It tasted fresh but was so rich that we couldn’t even
finish it. We also ordered the Viking cocktail of pineapple and strawberry
mixed with cherry sorbet; a light and fresh drink that was maybe a little on
the sweet side.

Viking’s friendly and swift service is just another reason why this restaurant is a great spot for an indulgent meal of rich food and sweet desserts. Bring a group of friends and share their platters and finger food for a fun, calorie-heavy meal.