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

Finding an Asian eatery on the eclectic Cairo restaurant scene is not a hard task; finding one that’s authentic is, however. Outside of high-end restaurants such as 8, for example, most serve up a more Westernised-version of the cuisine, though authenticity has become a hot trend as of late as more restaurateurs look to break from the pack and it was our first question as we headed to Wok and Walk, an Asian restaurant and takeout venue in Heliopolis’ El Marghany Street.  

Similar to many cafés in El Marghany area – as well as Wok and Walk’s Maadi branch – the restaurant has a sidewalk seating arrangement, along with a small indoor area that features wooden benches and colourful chairs. It’s simplistic interior that stands out most for its exposed kitchen.

After browsing the menu, which involves a make-your-own meal section –with your choice of protein, rice or noodles and sauces – and a combo meal section that includes Chicken Tandoori (45.95LE) and Shrimps with Spicy Sauce (52.95LE), we opted for Beef Spring Rolls (16LE) and a make-your-own Sweet and Sour Chicken (48LE), alongside a Beef Black Pepper Combo (46.95LE).    

Coming warm out of the kitchen, the four crispy spring rolls were stuffed with fresh and tasty vegetables, though little-to-no beef, which left us wishing we would’ve ordered the vegetable spring rolls instead.

Our chicken sweet & sour vegetable noodles, on the other hand, were extremely delicious, with well-seasoned chicken cubes, tasty and flavourful spiral noodles cooked al dente, and a thick sauce perfectly complimenting the overall taste.

The black pepper combo was just as good, boasting equally delicious vegetable noodles and tender-to-the-touch beef chunks, complimented by a mildly spicy black pepper sauce. The side of wonton chicken was fried to a perfect crisp and stuffed with a fulfilling cube of tender chicken.

After finishing our meal, we were ready for dessert and between limited choices like Fried Banana Roll with Nutella (20LE) – unavailable at the time of our visit – Fried Pineapple with Honey (17LE) and Fried Banana with Honey and Ice cream (17LE), we opted for the latter.  

Served as six large pieces of batter-coated, deep-fried bananas, drizzled with honey and topped with a small scoop of chocolate ice cream – not vanilla as mentioned in the menu – the dessert was  crunchy and delicious on the outside and creamy and rich on the inside – a perfect combo for any dessert.

While it was slightly off-putting to see leftovers on our table when we were seated – and uncomfortable to be surrounded by stray cats while eating— nothing could take away from the execution of the food. With tasty and noticeably fresh dishes, Wok and Walk could well become a go-to for residents of Heliopolis. But is it authentic? That's debatable.