Caracas, Cairo

Caracas,
Arkan Mall
Cairo

On this last trip to Cairo, I was amazed at the explosion in the food scene of the city.

Arkan Mall is one such new set up catering to residents of 6th October and Sheikh Zayed areas. It has a multitude of eateries on the ground floor, all of which have a combination of indoor and outdoor seating and most of whom offer Shisha options too.

We chose Caracas, because I loved their purple and teal coloured chairs (it was a tough choice, and I needed a deal maker) and I'm so glad that we did.

Since we arrived just around the time of the Friday prayer, we were informed that food would take some time, but coffees could be served quickly. Since we weren't in a hurry, we were ok with this option and the coffee & sahlab did make their appearance very quickly along with complimentary eish (bread), olives and a sesame + pomegranate mollasses dip.

We ordered a selection of hot & cold mezze and I was quite surprised at the quantity when it arrived. I would recommend one mezze per person - given the size of each dish or order more, but skip the main course. The mahammara (36 EGP) and the fig jam which accompanied the grilled halloumi (40EGP) were outstanding, as was our main course of  daoud basha (70EGP)

My only complaint, is that I wish portion sizes were smaller, so I could try out more of their wonderful food.

Rating : 4.5 / 5

Daddy's Deli, Bangalore

Daddy's Deli,
594, 12th Main,
HAL 2nd Stage,
Indiranagar
Bangalore
080 41154372 / 76, +91 9844011237


We ate breakfast at the Red Fork, but inspite of an excellent brunch, when I realised that Daddy's Deli was an attached restaurant, I just HAD TO look at that menu too.

There was so much exciting stuff on that menu, since Daddy's Deli serves homestyle Parsi food, some of the items you won't even find on the menus of the best Parsi eateries of Bombay.

The great thing is that they serve half plates too, so you can sample much much more than you normally would be able to. Kolmi na Kavab (Prawn kababs), macchi na cutlet (fish cutlets), pork vindaloo, Khichri sas (fish or prawns cooked in a sweet and sour white sauce sith yellow rice), narial na doodh ma papeta ne sekta ni sing (potatoes and drumsticks cooked in a coconut curry).

When I saw brain cutlets (275/-) on the menu, there was no way I could leave without trying them. Its been ages since I've eaten brain cutlets (they are too fiddly to make at home). So inspite of having paid the bill for a 12noon brunch and an impending 1pm invitation to someones house for lunch, I just had to order the cutlets, and I'm truly glad that I did.

They were sheer perfection, lightly mixed with onions and green chillies, their crispness was a perfect foil to the soft creaminess of the brain.

Its going to be really tough for me to decide between the menus of Daddys Deli and Red Fork, the next time I'm in Bangalore.


Rating : 4.5 / 5

Japengo Cafe, Dubai

Japengo Cafe,
Multiple Locations
Dubai

Outlet visited:
Dubai Festival City
232 6220

The Japengo Cafe decor looked cool and welcoming, so I selected this location over all the other endless eating options at Festival City. The ratio of staff to customers looked 3:1 and I hoped that it meant quick service at 3:30pm, but unfortunately I was in for a long wait.

I was seated quickly enough by a very polite Maitre D, who gave me enough time to peruse the lengthy menu of Appetizers, salads, sandwiches, sushi, sashimi, maki, temaki, Italian, wood fired pizzas, stir fries in crispy baskets, Oriental, Lebanese, Specials, Sides, Desserts, fresh juices, fruit cocktails, coffes, teas and Persian dishes.

I ordered an iced tea - 16dhs - which arrived soon enough. While ordering the iced tea, I had also ordered my main course. Unable to decide between the grilled lamb chops(72) and the Nasi Goreng (51), I asked the Maitre D for her recommendation. Usually if a Maitre D recommends the cheaper option, it means the restaurant is sure of that dish ensuring repeat customers.

I went with her recommendation, but was in for a really long wait. After 25 minutes of trying to prolong my iced tea, I finally found a waiter who hovered close enough to get his attention and asked for my meal. He brought it instantly and what followed leaves me with no doubt that they forgot to serve me my meal even though it was ready much earlier.

The fried rice was colder than room temperature, the side stick of chicken satay was cold and starting to harden around the satay stick. the roast chicken piece was starting to dry out and was also cold. The rice had no balance in flavour, the satay sauce had potential, but served at low temperatures lost its punch. the roast chicken could have been awesome, but was a solid lump of not too tender flesh. (all 3 were a part of the nasi goreng dish)

With so many staff manning seperate counters for each specialty and with very few customers, I expected much better service. Seems they were more involved in their own conversations and preoccupied with eating their own lunch (which I saw some of them do in the restaurant) than serving paying customers.

Didn't bother ordering dessert as I was already running half an hour late with this delay and couldnt afford another half hour.

Would rather grab a sandwich at Cinnabon, the next time I am in the vicinity.

The BBC Good Food Team seem to have had a better experience at the Mall of Emirates Location:
http://www.bbcgoodfoodme.com/bbcGF/restaurants/Default.aspx?m=rs&v=1&rID=387
Dare I risk it at another location?