TIANMA: A SINGAPOREAN FEAST INSIDE OF THE ST. REGIS HOTEL IN CAIRO
The Cost -$35 per person
The Atmosphere – Tianma is a chic restaurant inside of the St. Regis Cairo, a luxury hotel located on the east bank of the Nile River which is also home to La Zisa. The restaurant’s menu, along with its décor, takes inspiration from China, India, and Southeast Asia. The listed dress code is smart casual but it would be appropriate to take it up a notch given the setting.
It is not easy to find Egyptian fare in hotels throughout Cairo. Apart from Kebabgy and a few others, most of the restaurants in the major hotels feature European, Asian, or American food. It’s nice though, that there is a lot of diversity in the high-end dining options that Cairo offers. It isn’t every day you come across a Singaporean restaurant, so when I found Tianma I had to try it.
The Order – Mango and Saffron Lassi, Bang Bang Chicken Salad, Braised Asian Eggplant “Brinjal” Clay Pot, Crystal Shrimp Dumpling Tobiko and Singaporean Style Duck (half portion).
The Fantastic – The star of this meal was the Singaporean Style Duck which was prepared tableside with the chef carving out the duck breast and serving it with hoisin and plum sauce. The portion was large and so I was surprised to see the chef continue slicing up more meat while we were feasting on the delicious breast. This time though, he prepared the remaining duck meat in pancakes with hoisin sauce, spring onions, and a julienne of leek and cucumber, rolled up the pancakes, and cut them into 6 spring roll-sized pieces. The duck was incredibly tasty, and I really enjoyed the two different presentations of the meat.
It isn’t often that a salad gets such rave reviews but the Bang Bang Chicken Salad was an amazing dish. Containing nice pieces of chicken in sesame and Mizkan sauces with mixed greens along with passionfruit and peanuts, the salad wasn’t lacking textures or flavors; the dressing was spectacularly creamy and the passionfruit and peanuts made an impact, in a great way.
The Great – The Braised Asian Eggplant Clay Pot was well executed. A mix of eggplant, tofu, and other vegetables in a Supreme Black bean Chili Sauce, the dish is a great option for vegetarians and omnivores alike. The broth that the vegetables were cooked in was outstanding and really elevated this dish to this rating.
The Good – While lassi is from India, it made its way to Singapore during the country’s 144 year-long stint as a British colony and has become a very popular drink. Tianma offers four different lassis; I chose the Mango and Saffron Lassi which also contained honey and yogurt. While I expected more from the drink given the addition of saffron and the price ($8), I did enjoy it. The Crystal Shrimp Dumpling Tobiko came three to an order and was served in a traditional Chinese bamboo steamer. The dumplings were served with spicy sauce and soy-based sauce, and the combination of the two was quite good.
The Verdict – While it is important to go out and explore Egyptian cuisine while in Cairo, Tianma offers a sometimes hard-to-find opportunity to experience some very good Singaporean and Asian food in an upscale setting. If you go, remember to order the Singaporean Duck and the Bang Bang Chicken Salad and rest assured that a vegetarian in your party will have plenty of options to choose from.