Friday March 29th, 2024
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Makani Deli Takes On Fine French Baking

One of our favourite sushi brands is now beckoning us with freshly made coffee and croissants. Damn you, diet.

Staff Writer

When we hear ‘French’ and ‘food’ at any point, our ears immediately perk up just as we scout the streets of Cairo with much gusto in the hopes of brilliant food quenching the ever-hungry demons within us. Imagine our surprise - and confusion, we must admit - when we discovered that Makani Deli was opening in Zamalek last Thursday. We passed by and got a taste of its succulent Edomae Sushi balls to start. So far, this was still the Makani we knew and loved, but there were many twists we tried to understand; the décor, the menu, and the word ‘deli’ itself all pointed that we were dealing with a new facet of the well-known chain.

"We wanted to create a French bistro style that has a bakery section providing pâté, croissants, and other products to the Egyptian market,’’ explains Marketing Manager Nadim Maksoud.“Makani was originally a deli in Sharm el Sheikh; it didn’t even have sushi as the concept of sushi wasn’t introduced to the Egyptian market. The owners are trying to keep the heritage that they were originally a deli, but they revamped the entire concept and did it over,” adds Maksoud.

Makani Deli packs a plethora of culinary options: sandwiches, salads, desserts, main courses that include black spaghetti with shrimp and beef medallion, as well as baked goods like muffins and croissants that can set you back only 15 LE a piece.  As for a breakfast, where you can devour your eggs sunny side up, or an entire platter of cheese to your whim, it can average between 25 to 40 LE.

They’re launching a comprehensive menu next week, and the contemporary French deli, Maksoud believes, is made extra special by not only the elegant white interior design but something else we didn’t imagine: butter.

“The butter is what makes our baking creations so special. The bread is freshly made in-house, but then you have a little taste of France. You’re not biting into a piece of dough from Carrefour; the baked good is crunchy and it flakes. It’s real,” he enthuses.

We'll have to go and judge for ourselves in the hopes of one delicious bite teleporting us to Paris. 

Make sure to catch their upcoming creations on Instagram and Facebook

All images were provided by Makani Deli.