The VerandaConcorde El Salam Hotel, 65 Abdel Hamid Badawi Street, Heliopolis Tel: 622 6000Hours: 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. (lunch)Iftar: 7 p.m. to 12. a.m. (dinner) The environment at The Veranda is lovely, in the subtly lit courtyard of the beautiful Concorde El-Salam Hotel in Heliopolis. The evening entertainment is better than that at most of the district's hotels, with talented singers and accompanying musicians. The dancers that performed on the night we were there were a novel, high-kicking affair. In the choice between buffet (shared with the patrons of any outdoor event that may be underway at the time) and a la carte, I would heartily recommend the buffet at only LE 90 per person. The variety of salads, main courses, and desserts is enough to keep anyone going - no one more so than the restaurant employees charged with constantly replenishing the trough. In the spirit of a true restaurant review, however, we took the a la carte route, which is not an option at iftar time during Ramadan. For starters, my dinner companion and I had the bell pepper soup and a fresh salad of rocket greens, respectively. The soup was served more elegantly than we d ever seen, with a bowl containing only a dollop of cream set down in front of you, then the waiter ladling the soup over the cream at the table from an individually sized tureen. If only the same attention had been paid to the seasoning of the soup so that it might deserve the stunning presentation. The starters were helped significantly by the fresh breadsticks and bruschetta-style bread for dipping in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. For our main courses, my dining companion chose tiger prawns on a bed of calamari-accented black rice, accompanied sparsely by four mere shavings of grilled courgette. Since I leaned across the table to test them, I can say first-hand that the black rice was very good as were the shrimps - although, unfortunately, not enough to warrant the rather hefty LE 98 price tag. I had veal escallops in a somewhat bland mushroom sauce accompanied, as with my companion s meal, with the sparsest of vegetables, in my case a single piece each of carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, and courgette. The dessert menu is generally limited to fruit and ice cream except for tiramisu and something new to us called zuccotto. We gave the latter a shot. A creamy Italian concoction enveloped in a thick layer of soft chocolate, zuccotto is quite a rich end to a meal but was enjoyable nonetheless and difficult to leave alone. At The Veranda, an a la carte meal for two with starters, main course, and dessert could be expected to come to between LE 250 and LE 400, excluding alcohol. This is all the more reason to forego waiting for the servers and instead adopt the serve-it-yourself option, where two could eat for LE 180 and include as many large servings of vegetables as you wanted, if only to make your mother smile. Ataturk20 El-Riyadh Street, MohandiseenTel: 3475135Hours: 12 p.m. to 2 a.m. Despite its location on a brightly lit and busy street in Mohandiseen, Ataturk has a cozy, friendly atmosphere. Its painted brick walls and faded blue tablecloths are the definition of shabby chic. Quiet music in Turkish and Arabic, and children playing at the table as their parents ate, set a relaxing tone to the evening. However, Ataturk was not relaxed in all senses. Service was prompt and the food came out unusually quickly, about 10 minutes after we had ordered. Ataturk offers a wide selection of Turkish and Mediterranean food. Simple dishes, such as fattoush and cucumber yogurt dip were particularly good because of the restaurant s fresh vegetables. Meat sambousek were crispy and well seasoned. The choice of entrees, ranging from LE 15 to LE 30, is a bit overwhelming, with everything from kebabs to shish tawouk, fish and shawarma. One highlight of our meal was the two-foot long piece of bread served right out of the oven, hot and crispy. Probably the best bread I've tasted in Cairo. Ataturk seems to have a Mediterranean dish to satisfy any food craving. Everything we had was delicious. Vegetarians have few options though, only the mezze and soup come without meat. Chocofolie33 Amman St., DokkiTel: 761 3389Hours: 12 p.m. to 3 a.m. Tucked away on a leafy side street off Amman Square, Chocofolie is delicious in every sense of the word. Plush chairs and deep purple walls set a whimsical Alice in Wonderland tea party mood, perfect for indulging in rich chocolate. My favorite dish is the Volcano, a flourless chocolate cake, a bit fluffy like soufflé. When asked how to describe it, one person said, "I just call it delicious. Despite being one of the richest items on the menu, we couldn't get enough of the Volcano and devoured it in about three minutes. The hot cocoa is so rich that you might as well be drinking melted chocolate. It comes in all varieties: cinnamon, mocha, orange, caramel, marshmallow, and pretty much anything else you can imagine. Some of Chocofolie's desserts sound completely ridiculous. Who would ever think of mixing chocolate and sweet potatoes? But Chocofolie pulls off the seemingly impossible with the Botata Spilit, a delectable ice cream sundae of sweet potatoes stuffed with vanilla ice cream and drenched in chocolate syrup. The restaurant also mixes traditional Middle Eastern desserts with its signature chocolate. For the most indulgent of iftars, try dipping konafa into a chocolate fountain, or adding chocolate to Om Ali. Though its name suggests a narrow menu, there are also many options for those who don't like chocolate. Chocofolie makes all flavors of milkshakes, and features American and French savory dishes. We particularly liked the Banana Shake with a Twist and the chicken fingers. Chocofolie is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Entrees such as omelets, croque monsieur and salads go for between LE 9 and LE 28. Arabica20 Al-Maraashly Street, ZamalekTel: 735 7982Hours: 8 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. Perched on the corner of Ahmed Hesmat St. and located inconspicuously above a grocery shop along Zamalek's affluent Maarashly strip, Arabica is a stylish and modern eatery that puts a twist on traditional Middle Eastern cuisine by offering dishes like feteer (from LE 10.5 and up) and babaghanoug (LE 6.5) alongside finger foods like turkey wraps (with gargeer, for LE 10.5) and sweet treats like frozen yogurt (LE 7.5). Don't be intimidated by the modern design, though - Arabica knows how to have fun: the tablecloths are strips of blank, white paper and every table is given a box of pencils, meaning you can doodle and draw while your meal is being prepared. The service can be a bit on the slow side, but the wraps come with delicious fried potatoes and the vibe is calm, cool and sophisticated. For a late-night treat, drop by and grab a delicious strawberry and banana juice cocktail, which is mixed with crushed ice and yogurt. Costa Coffee15 Al-Maraashly Street, Zamalek, with branches downtown, Giza, 6th of October City, Heliopolis, and MaadiTel: 738 2040Hours: 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Founded in London, England way back in 1971, Costa Coffee's Zamalek branch serves up some of the best beans on the island for a young, chic crowd of students and professionals. The drink menu includes Italian coffeehouse standards like lattes, cappuccinos and café Americanos - the generous small size goes for LE 8.49 - along with a collection of iced coffees, frozen lattes and Costa's latest edition, the Frescado, which will set you back a not-so-cool LE 18. Still, try the vanilla on a hot day - it's almost worth the price. Costa also has a chilled fridge stocked with wraps and sandwiches, but you'll be better off skipping the prefab grub and grabbing a piece of raspberry mousse cake (LE 12.49) or the culture-rocking chicken tandoori panini (LE 16.99), which is made fresh on the spot. And for health-conscious caffeine fans fed up with inhaling the copious amounts of second-hand smoke that seem to be the rule rather than the exception in Cairo's cafe scene, Costa also boasts a small non-smoking section, meaning you can sit and sip while breathing easily. Costa also stays open late and offers laptop fiends a free Internet connection. Café Tabasco18 B Al-Maraashly Street, Zamalek and 7 Mosadak Street, DokkiTel: 7358465 and 7622060Hours: 7:00 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. While this basement café, nestled among Zamalek's trendy shops, doesn't quite live up to its spicy name, it certainly does provide a relaxed environment to vibe out and chill. Located close to the American University in Cairo's dorms, Tabasco is popular with many of the area's well-heeled students, who pack the place on weekends to devour the ever-popular pancakes (LE 18) and other standard breakfast fare like the cheese omelet (LE 12) or the massive Breakfast Express (LE 20), which could feed a small army of political science majors. The breakfast prices are a little steep, but you can grab a small coffee with steamed milk for LE 6. Also a good bet is the tasty clubhouse sandwich (crusts removed), which includes a generous serving of fries for a reasonable LE 18. Also worth a shot is a regular margarita pizza (LE 18) or a crisp Greek salad (LE 16). The place has plenty of soft seats and also boasts a well-stocked collection of magazines and newspapers, meaning you can sit and kill hours catching up on the latest news. While the service is prompt and courteous, the place could use some new music; the current tuneage is an oft-repeating loop featuring down tempo mash-ups of The Doors, Blondie and other musical travesties. Oh yeah, wireless Internet is free and the bathrooms are spotless. Wael Elazab, Jared Stuffco and Phoebe Sloane wrote and compiled the reviews
