4.306 Shish Tawook Rap + Chicken Crispy with Chili Sauce in Vienna Bread

4.306

7 (Thu) November 2013

Shish Tawook Rap + Chicken Crispy with Chili Sauce in Vienna Bread

2.5

at Shakra to Go (Stars Centre)

-Nasr, Cairo, Egypt-

solo

Conference in Egypt: Day 6 of 7

In Cairo.  Here to attend the 1st Expert Consultation on Public Health Law in the Eastern Mediterranean, hosted by the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO).  First time in Egypt, first time in Africa.

Shakra to Go! is an Egyptian quasi-fastfood chain.  Actually more of a takeout window for the full-service restaurant Abou Shakra, where I had dinner on Day 1.
Same menu, same prices, same kitchen, although some of the more popular items at Shakra to Go are premade and displayed under glass.  

For dinner, back to the mall again.  I regret to eat at the same place twice, but – still feeling a bit woozy in the middle from yesterday’s near-death food poisoning – I wasn’t in the mood/condition to experiment.

Shish Tawook Rap (3.0): the flatbread was thinnish, a bit thicker than a tortilla, simultaneously soft and chewy, plus crispy from being grilled on the outside, like a panini – one of the best flatbreads that I’ve ever experienced; but the chicken didn’t taste like much, and it was drowned in a mayo-like sauce, maybe yogurt, that was too tart – better filling, better sauce, and this could achieve excellence.

Shish tawook is an Arabic dish.  Poultry, typically chicken, marinated in light spices and cooked on skewers over direct flame.  The meat may be served on its own, with rice and/or potatoes, or wrapped in flatbread as a sandwich.  The term derives from Turkish: “skewer = shish” + “poultry = tawook.”

Chicken Crispy with Chili Sauce in Vienna Bread (1.5): unremarkable, standard American-style soft sandwich roll; the deep-fried chicken achieved the rare feat of being oily and dry at the same time, and tasteless; and they forgot the chili sauce.

Egyptians really do seem to eat a lot of bread, all kinds, every meal.  They invented it, so they’re entitled, I suppose.  Come to think of it, the first Egyptian-themed post a couple years back on this blog was a sandwich (see 2.356 Egyptian Sandwich…).

On the final evening, at long last, a drink in the hotel, at the poolside bar, next to the pyramid.
Sakara Gold, a local brew, pretty good; too bad about the strict alcohol policies outside the hotel, which made it impossible to find any of this stuff at the nearby markets, or I would’ve bought a few bottles to bring back; nevertheless, I will forever treasure the memory of drinking beer in the country where it was invented.

Flying back home tomorrow.  I really wish that I’d had a chance to see more of the city, try more of the foods, drink more of the beer.  Next time for sure.

(For more details re food, see WHAT)

(For more details re venue, see WHERE IN THE WORLD)

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