Grand Hyatt Iftar

Jack and I decided to go downtown for dinner last night. We decided to go to the iftar meal at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, which begins seating at about 5:45pm in time for the breaking of the fast at about 6:10pm. The hotel has a revolving restaurant on the 40th floor. We wanted to take in the view in both daylight and night. We stayed two hours, enough time for the restaurant to make one complete revolution.

The meal itself was spectacular. It was truly a feast. There were side dishes of every type of food, from fruits and vegetables to dips and various breads for dipping.

The hotel, as well as most restaurants, starts seating for the iftar meal around 5:45 pm, so all are seated in time for the breaking of the fast at about 6:10 pm, with the siping of a traditional juice. Our juice was an apricot-ty tasting juice as well as a hibiscus drink. Both were very refreshing.

The meal began with a choice of soups. Jack had chicken and I had tomato. We then moved on to the smorgesbord of small dishes set about on the table. Some were dips for bread, like tahini, babakanoosh, and cucumber yoghurt, as well as fruits and vegetables to nibble on, little sausages and other finger foods. In addition there was various meat dishes. One was a fish dish with a delicious sauce; another was a beef dish, and another still, was chicken, all beautifully presented. Then came the main course. We had a choice of veal or sea bass. We both chose veal. The chef came out to see how we wanted our veal prepared. We were the only Westerners in attendance so the chef decided to check on us in person. We prefered our veal rare. It was done perfectly!

You can see the soup cups and the side dishes that began the meal.

After the main meal we sat and watched Cairo pass below, as the lights came on all over the city. It really was quite a view. After a while the desserts--yes plural--came. Then the mint tea. We tasted some of the desserts, but had little room left to properly enjoy them. There was a platter of pasteries, like bakalava, and other similiar sweets. There was a bowl of rice pudding and a bowl of bread pudding, an a large bowl of fresh fruit to share.

The food was delicious. We can understand why Egyptians gain weight during Ramadan. If they eat like that during the month it is no wonder.