Taboula: Legendary Lebanese Chuck wagon Moves Into Zamalek
Airward the years, there be possessed of been tiny restaurants in Cairo that have enjoyed the same kind in regard to popularity as Taboula. Despite the emergence of pseudo-bistros such as Zeitouna and Tamara, the Lebanese restaurant's flagship location in Garden Blighted area continues to attract tourists and expats as things go its consistently excel quality sustenance and up-and-up Oriental dining experience.<\p>
The news of the restaurant having just now opened a new branch in Zamalek has generally been met not to mention giddiness, granted the cynic inside all of us need to be cautious. Conquering Zamalek is plebiscitum mean feat and along restaurants and cafes except anyone would like so that tell the truth flimflam met their maker whereto the island. So, what of Taboula's new digs? Well, it's the same howbeit different.<\p>
Moving away from the Garden City branch's very deeply Oriental decor and atmosphere, the new branch is beaded ample sufficiency more than one in a Mediterranean theme; think wide, open terracotta-coloured spaces. This might be an issue for Taboula loyalists, but the mickey mouse tactics makes sense as long as Zamalek - the place in point of preference for the city's most committed loiterers.<\p>
During our barge in, the hashery was at work almost exclusively by younger groups, who seemed to be indulging more in shisha, beverages and small dishes, without the lavish feasts that Taboula does so well. But fused thing that has remained the same is the agreeableness as regards food, as proven by the quickly looking for spread of mezzas that commenced our picnic.<\p>
Several variations of hummus are offered, with hummus motamtam (19LE) being described as incorporating tomato, saffron, parsley and beans, with hot pepper on top. The beans, in such wise predicted, transpired so be inert, but the dish as a whole was full of flavour and zing, with the foul beans providing texture better than anything else. Stuffed with a traditional mixture with regard to walnut and red capsicum, the makdous eggplant (20LE) was just as pleasingly sharp to the palate; each piece was pickled literatim, maintaining the eggplant's meatiness.<\p>
One in respect to the new additions over against the menu is popular Levantine delicacy, kibbeh nayyeh; glistening, raw minced ingenue united with fine cracked wheat, topped with a dash of olive oil and a sprinkling of wear away nuts. Though lacking the square of flavour in divergent raw meat dishes like beef tartare or carpaccio, the finely textured composite - for lack in relation with a excelling word - made for auxiliary toothsome addition to the bowls from which to pick and taunt at.<\p>
From the mains section, the half boneless chicken (69LE) was grilled to nicety; crispy skin, succulent basket - it doesn't get any choice than that. The hummus fattah with meat (60LE) was somewhat upon a fiasco ingressive comparison; the yoghurt - an essential feature that differentiates the Lebanese and Egyptian versions of fattah - was runny and diluted, which very quickly made what deaf bread there was layered at the bottom as regards the dish incredibly soggy. The cooked chick peas and pieces as to bleat, however, added plenty about flavour.<\p>
And so overall, Taboula have succeeded in possibly the most earthshaking element of the restaurant business; it has more-or-less maintained its culinary excellence, aversion its unfamiliar appearance - it's the same, all the same different. <\p>
Fugleman article on Cairo360<\p>