Tasty meat dishes, crisp salads and a relaxed atmosphere CAIRO: While Cairo has countless foul and falafel stands that serve up tasty snacks for next to nothing, finding a comfortable, sit-down spot that offers regional dishes at a reasonable price can be a bit of a challenge. Fed up with the four major food groups (fool, koshari, pizza and pasta) that make up our diet, a friend and I decided to leave our island enclave in Zamalek and check out Al-Omdah in Mohandiseen, which is known for its grilled meats and other delights. Pulling up to the restaurant and its brightly-lit sign, we made for the dining room located next to the take-out stand, where we were greeted by a friendly waiter who sat us down on a pair of pillow-covered chairs. The restaurant is one of those low-lit, relaxed joints were waiting for you meal isn't a major chore. You can literally lay back and puff on a shisha, sip on tea and get ready for some of the tastiest meat in town. We started with a pair of salads and a healthy serving of humus, which was served with a basket-full of fresh pitas. We were impressed. Even at Cairo's more expensive spots, the bread is usually dried out and old. Al-Omdah's was soft and warm. The salads were crisp and succulent, and we devoured them immediately. One of the salads was a typical offering filled with fresh lettuce, sliced tomatoes and cucumber. The second salad was more adventurous and featured seasoned chunks of dried pita, sliced garlic and some mysterious seasonings. Delicious. Sipping on an ice cold Pepsi, the waiter brought us the main event: the meat dishes. First up was the shish tawook - a plateful of smoky, seasoned chunks of chicken grilled to perfection and served up on a plate of lettuce with a side of French fries. It was delectable and we gulped it down with ample servings of humus and forkfuls of French fries. After polishing that off, we started on a massive mound of fettah served up with a chunk of lamb which is brought out right on the bone. Seriously, the lamb fell right off the bone and the fettah itself was bursting with flavor. It was tough to get through the whole thing, and had the dish been any less than delicious, we would have left without finishing the plate. When asked if we wanted desert, however, we passed and opted instead to kick-start the relaxation with a cup of hot tea and a puff on a flavored shisha. Thankfully, the price was also very accommodating and we laid down about LE 50 each for the entire meal. Full and content, we stepped out of Al Omdah with a pledge to return. Check it out for yourself. They also have delivery and take away. Al Omdah6 Sharia Al-Gaza irMohandiseen(202) 346 2701
