The Fairy Tale Dinner Comes to Life at Cairo Capital Club

A lot of mystery surrounded the Fairy Tale Dinner at Cairo Capital Club last week in which the very talented and charismatic Vincenzo Guglielmi got in the kitchen arena and cooked up a storm for Cairo’s elite. This being the third event in the bi-weekly food events at Garden City’s highest and classiest venue, we thought we knew what to expect. We were wrong. The term fairy tale being exercised so literally was mind-blowing to us and the 60 other attendees that came to have a night filled with food, drinks, stunning views over the entire city and, of course, a lot of magic.

Before the first dish was even served we were bewitched. The hospitality staff was roaming the scene to serve finger food before the first appetiser was set to fill our stomachs. “Alice in Wonderland," a sweet meringue-looking cream cloud, and “Tom Finger,” a fried blend of bread crumbs and cheese, were served, preparing our taste buds for what was to come and setting the tone for the night. While the finger foods were passwed around, entertainment was provided by the incredible Michelle Rounds of Cairo Jazz Club whose voice lit up the night and awarded an extra touch of class to the Cairo Capital Club. We initially thought that last month’s piano and violin player couldn’t be topped, but apparently we were mistaken…

The menu Guglielmi provided read itself like a fairy tale indeed. Not only was it actually telling the story of ingredients of six different courses meeting on a plate and living happily ever after but also made mouths magically water by teasing us about the quality we are used to from Thursday nights at the Cairo Capital Club. Without having a name for each dish, Guglielmi’s description left no question over the fact we were in for a taste explosion. As the first dish, a zucchini tartare served along a caramelised baby tomato, took centre stage on our tables set around the panorama of Zamalek and the Nile from the 19^th floor of the building, excitement turned into conviction that we are figuratively living a fairy tale by employing nothing else but our taste.

At this point we would like to question why the Cairo Capital Club serves numerous appetisers. Appetisers are supposed to welcome main courses, however, on more than one occasion the appetisers had the potential to outshine anything that was to follow. Guglielmi’s Tuna 55, deriving its name from the temperature it is cooked at to perfection, looked as appetising as even possible at this point. Our appetite for the rest of the Italian chef’s creations was uncontrollable now, and we were not disappointed with the main dishes.

To start off the round of main dishes, three large ravioli were placed on a square dish, laced with a delightful tomato sauce. The hand-made pasta tasted as well as its presentation suggested and Chef Vincenzo saved his reputation, being Italian and all, by delivering authentic cuisine like we have never before tasted in Egypt before. The ravioli were followed by a sea bream fillet served on a sweet garlic sauce. The fish tasted freshly-caught and perfectly light which at this point didn’t surprise us as Chef Vincenzo had proven himself by now.

The highlight of the ensemble was, however, the dessert. Guglielmi had promised us a colourful and youthful pudding that would wake the inner child in us. Next to a delicious choice of fruit it featured Oreo cookies, bringing everything a child loves to a plate. Just after we finished our dessert, the clock struck midnight, and our full bellies and enchanted taste buds were ready to return to our castles to dream about the fairy tale dinner. Cairo Capital Club keeps getting better and none of its charm, atmosphere or elegance has been lost along the way. Therefore, we left with the sweet certainty that we may return in two weeks to have the next of Cairo’s great chefs charm us with his cooking skills.