Review: Asian Corner restaurant, Maadi Street 18

Ahram Online, Monday 27 Aug 2012

With so many restaurants grouped on particular streets in Cairo, Ahram Online details what's on Street 18 in Maadi, starting with Asian Corner

Asian Corner
Photo: Ahram Online

Before there were food courts restaurants would simply compete with each other by opening up on the same street. However, they found that even if more restaurants opened up on the same street as long as the supply isn’t more than the demand (i.e. too many restaurants for the amount of clients) they would see a spike in clientele as the street would become well known for offering variety. 

Street 18 and surroundings.
Note the landmarks in blue
There are many go-to food streets in Cairo and a good place to start is Street 18 in Maadi where four restaurants butt up next to each other, starting with Asian Corner.

A narrow flight of wooden stairs leads one up to the entrance. The restaurant consists of one, simple, reasonably-sized room with a couple of dividing walls. Wooden panels alternate with white walls. Smart lighting, wooden tables with cushioned chairs make for a pleasing, clean environment, typical of nouveau Western-influenced Japanese décor.  

Asian Corner sets their Indian, Thai and Chinese all mixed on one side of the menu and on the back they list their sushi.

Appetizers
On the extensive appetizer list, they have things such as tom yum soup (LE23) spring rolls (LE12), skewered chicken satay with peanut sauce (LE11). There are 25 starter options between apps, soups and veggies ranging between LE9 for roti bread and LE25 for seafood soup.

Interesting main dishes
Some of the interesting things on their menu are crispy duck served with pancakes (LE55), yum yum chicken or shrimp (chicken/shrimp lemon in chef’s special sauce LE34/LE54), Thai red curry beef (LE43) and steamed fish with milk and lemon grass (LE40).

Experimental main dishes
To stay ahead of the competition, they have added exotic and delicious experimental dishes to their menu, blending Asian and Indian, for example: murgh makhani (buttered chicken pieces marinated in yoghurt and mixed spices LE42) and the chicken korma (chicken pieces in white cream sauce rich in Indian spices LE38).

Sushi
Asian Corner also serves sushi. Generally, the quality, taste and price are on par with other sushi restaurants, with just a tad above average in creativity.

Four pieces range between LE30-32 and eight between LE58-62). With sashimi they are a bit more generous, offering 6 pieces of salmon, for instance, at LE39 and 10 at LE55.

I had an eight-piece dynamite roll and a four-piece crispy shrimp roll: both were light and fresh. They were notably heavy on the Philadelphia cheese in the dynamite roll.

My partner stuck to the other side of the menu and ordered vegetable rice, which, although it was tasty, it was more suited to the local taste with plenty of oil and salt.

The kung pao chicken was about average, maybe comparatively less oily than in some restaurants, but the sauce is suspciously gooey, so if you are sensitive to monosodium glutamate (MSG), maybe take care.

The extra-crisp shanton (spicy, breaded and fried courgette) is addictive. Asian Corner serves it with a ketchup-like sweet and sour sauce, but try asking for a yoghurt-based sauce. The temptation is to devour the pile, but the spiciness frustrates that instinct. Cutting the heat with a yoghurt sauce could let you loose to gobble it up and add an exciting contrast for your taste buds.

We didn’t consider dessert, but looking back - it is a regret. It’s always fun to deceive yourself into thinking that friend bananas (LE19) are good for you and fulfill your fruit quota for the day. Also, the curiosity about what Japanese-style pumpkin (LE24) is insatiable.

Our check totaled LE175, plus a Chinese chef, a large bottle of water and no dessert. A bit on the pricey side, but it’s still in line with most new Asian restaurants.

 

Address

11 Street 18
The first floor of Residence Hotel

as well as:
City Stars
Sunset Mall in Sheraton

District

Maadi

Hours

12 noon – 12midnight (last order)

Telephone

Delivery? Yes

0223809742
0223809784

Internet

None

Smoking

Smoking section good ventilation system

Price range

LE200 – LE270 for two people

 

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Street 18 closeup
Featuring: Asian Corner

 

 

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