Thursday March 28th, 2024
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The Smokery Creates Delicious Memories

We finally head to The Smokery to find out what all the fuss is about and find much more than meets the eye at this fine dining establishment, which is launching its lobster menu today!

Staff Writer

The Smokery Creates Delicious Memories

Overlooking the greens at the Katameya Heights compound is The Smokery, a badly-kept secret that provides an exquisite dining experience guaranteed to make deliciously lasting food memories.

The Smokery is a must dine destination that was founded in 2012 by Karim Henein and his wife Angela Henein. With a skillful eye for detail, these two have taken a hands-on approach, running the whole management and establishing this restaurant as a brand. Enlisting the help of veteran Chef Vincent Guillou to craft a unique menu, The Smokery boasts a carefully thought-out culinary story with plenty of mouth-watering offerings. In an effort to prove whether or not The Smokery is worth all the hype, we decided to head there and experience it for ourselves finally, and were definitely not disappointed.

Arriving for dinner, we were caught off guard by the weather which seemed to suggest winter was here. Without even mentioning the cool discomfort, the service staff sat us near an outdoor heater, and gave us blankets to ensure a comfortable experience. Our meal began with a rich but hearty seafood bisque soup, a wonderfully balanced Salade Parisienne, a beef Carpaccio, and their signature party platter known as The Smokery Fiesta. Although all the starters were delicious, The Smokery Fiesta platter was the most memorable as it offered a variety of smoke salmon cuts, marinated in unique ways, and offered on a silver tree-like platter with each branch presenting salmon’s versatility and giving this fish the respect it deserves. Each of these dishes exemplified consistency not only in the way they were cut and prepared but also managed to strike a delicious balance of flavours exciting our palettes for the next course.

For our mains, the decision was tough as all the menu offers a select but diverse preparation of seafood, steak, and pasta. At this point, the foodie reading this will say pasta is its own course, but we doubt that these critics have ever tried the Smokery Penne. With the pasta cooked to perfection and filled with seafood offerings, the dish was one of the most filling and perhaps the finest pasta we have had in Cairo yet. The Saumon Balsamique was sublime, while the steak - although cooked to a perfect medium rare - had just a touch too much sauce, which is understandable as the Egyptian palette tends to like it saucy. Once again all the flavours were spot on, and although we were full, we were so impressed that we just had to try their desserts.

Just when we thought things couldn’t get any sweeter, out came a vanilla Nougatine, Crème Brule and Fondant au Chocolat. Trying to decide the clear winner here would be nearly impossible, as all the desserts were cleverly presented and packed with addictive sweetness. From cutting into the Fondant and watching the chocolate goodness escape to the breaking of the surface of a crème brule, we were left in bliss with every bite. 

With the meal coming to a close it was hard to believe that we were dining in Egypt. From its location overlooking the greens and its selection of eclectic but soothing music, to its professional serving staff and unique but concise food offerings, The Smokery has raised the bar in terms of fine dining in Cairo. In just two short years, The Smokery has expanded opening up a branch in Gouna at the Yacht Club in the New Marina, and have a floating restaurant in Marassi only open during summer. The latest expansion plan will see The Smokery opening in 6th October at the Westown Hub, however there is still no word of its official launch.

The Smokery often defines itself as a seafood bar, but it is a concept that goes beyond seafood. The prices are on the expensive side, but are completely understandable as The Smokery is becoming a synonymous with fine dining culinary experience with an exceptional atmosphere and view, which has made it a popular destination for special occasions. Although The Smokery has set the bar high, it continues to push itself in terms of continuously providing new reasons to return. As we were leaving with happy bellies, we were informed that The Smokery will be bringing back its favourite lobster dishes. The menu will be offering an exquisite Gnocchi with Lobster, as well as a Grilled Lobster carefully prepared by Chef Vincent starting tonight.

Upon hearing this news we went ahead and made reservations for next week, as The Smokery promises to continues to surprise us with new dishes reaching new heights ultimately providing dining memories we won’t soon forget. Needless to say it is worth all the hype. 

Find out more about the Smokery on their official Facebook page here.