Diving In

Walking towards Napa Grill, we could already hear the chatter of eager diners and the clinking of glasses, as the restaurant was fully booked for this special celebration of everything the sea has to offer. The moment we were seated, we instantly got up again and went off, like divers, to delve into the massive spread. We started with an array of salads, building up our buffet plates like true Egyptians, with tender squid, fresh king prawns, smoked salmon, lobster tail and all sorts of dressings. 

When it was time for round two, we headed over to the fresh seafood display to feast our eyes on perfect cuts of raw salmon, cod and tuna, as well as whole snappers, eels, prawns, crabs and everything you wouldn’t expect to find in the centre of town. Instead, the cooked-to-order station felt more like a typical Egyptian fish monger in Alexandria, displaying fresh seafood and cooking it the way you want. To accompany our selection of tuna and salmon steaks, we ravished the hot sides, including delicate seafood spring rolls, mini crab cakes and traditional Egyptian Sayyadeya rice. There was also a live pasta and risotto station where you could build your own dish using an array of seafood, sauces and vegetables, but we decided to dedicated round three (yes, we have no shame when it comes to buffets) to their fresh and delicate sushi stand, featuring all our favourite, and then some, as there seemed to be a special focus on rarer ingredients like scallops and caviar.

Needless to say, there was no room for dessert, so we rounded up the night with a couple of glasses of wine, and the sounds of the adorable Italian musician who goes by the name of Pino, roaming the venue with nothing but a guitar and a repertoire of golden oldies. Though it was meant to be a one off event, you can have all the fun of the festival again this Thursday, as the Fairmont Nile City looks to repeat its tasty success at Napa Grill.

Fairmont Nile City’s Seafood Festival takes place on the evening of Thursday 6^th March, at Napa Grill and costs 250LE ++ per person. For more information visit the Fairmont’s Facebook fan page here.