Restaurant review:
Simply Yummmmm!
Yasmine El-Rashidi "mmmms" her way through a midnight feast at a deli with franchises around the world
I have always been sceptical of menus that inform you that their dishes are delicious: something I picked up from my father, I think, who has always been an avid believer in food tasting and testing.
This time, however, my sceptical churning mind turned out to be absolutely wrong. Euro Deli's menu -- which informs customers that it is pure, delicious and YUM -- is quite simply that. Detrimentally so, I must add.
It was late when we made our way to the brightly lit corner in Zamalek; much too late, in my opinion, to eat an entire meal. So we resorted to one of my big pet hates: ordering a variety of dishes and everyone "picking". Bad idea -- if the food is good, it is the biggest enticer to overeat.
And we did.
The spinach salad was a concoction of fresh spinach leaves, shredded red cabbage, carrots and a tangy dressing. Yum.
The California Chicken sandwich was yum too: freshly baked bread stuffed with feta cheese, guacamole, tomato, onion and succulent chicken. And its relative, the silver Chicken SUB, was a far cry from the fast-food mismatches that one usually associates with the word "SUB". An overflowing crunchy baguette with a centre that seemed to melt in one's mouth, this garlic feast was sprinkled with sweet corn, pickles, as well as the usual sandwich fillings.
A self-professed tuna addict and carbohydrate (bread, specifically) freak, the tuna sandwich paid its dues; unbeatable bread, and a YUM tuna filling that included sweet corn, marinated onions and pickles.
For those for whom pasta is the favoured carb of choice, the pasta did create some waves of yummm. The Fettucine Alfredo was perfectly cooked, the white sauce spiced up just enough, not much too salt, and not too much sauce. The Fettucine di Mare, however, was not quite a big bang. It was, it appeared, the Alfredo with a spoonful of teeny tiny shrivelled shrimps and a few scrawny bits of calamari -- just enough to give the dish a fishy smell, but no real taste of seafood. Not something any of the party will get cravings for. Nor, I doubt, is the Fattouch -- which was a bit too vinegary for the average taste bud. "Nothing special" was the verdict on this Lebanese Euro Deli dish.
Dessert, however, was a story and scene of sound effects in itself.
Not many places in Egypt know how to make really good cheesecake. This place, however, knows its stuff well. It may not be the cheesecake you would find in New York, but it most certainly beats most other attempted cheesecake makers in Cairo. As does the chocolate cake which comes covered in dark Belgian chocolate. It is slightly worrying, to be frank, to know that those two disastrous delights are situated so close to home, and just a phone call away (Euro Deli offers free home delivery till 2am). Very worrying.
With so many flavours, drinks were a must. The orange juice was freshly squeezed, the tea was regular tea, and the hot chocolate was absolutely perfect; one of three or four places I've tried (out of about 20 in Cairo) that make hot chocolate right; not too sweet, with skimmed milk, and steaming hot. Yummmmm.
It was past midnight when this feast came to an end, and we left the deli that does, in fact, look like some place in Europe thinking "yum". Euro Deli's staff confess that they are obsessed with food. By the time you leave this little place that looks quite ordinary from the outside, you will be obsessed too.
For a total of LE95, Euro Deli is enticingly delicious.
EURO DELI, 22 Taha Hussein Street, Zamalek, Tel: 736 6112 (open 8am-2am)
