Making the perfect sushi and sashimi is an art. An art that has to balance tastes, textures, flavors and more while retaining the true essence and freshness of the fish that is served. Each sushi and sashimi dish is distinct from the other. Add onto this the perfect sauce that brings out the distinctiveness of taste and you are presented with the most savory of dishes. But many restaurants fail to master this creative art of cooking. Here at Bombastic Life, we are always on the lookout for the restaurant serving great sushi. While in Egypt we set out to look for good sushi in Egypt. Haiku sushi was a place we decided to explore. A restaurant at the Fairmount Heliopolis, Haiku was our destination.

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The First Impression: Haiku sushi opened up to the lobby/entrance of the Fairmount Heliopolis. It overlooked the inner courtyard of the hotel and brought in an air of greenery to the ambience. A wedding was in full swing down at the lower level when we walked into the restaurant and the sounds of music and merrymaking created a festive atmosphere.

Décor and Ambience: The Haiku sushi was a trendy and modish restaurant. The décor was chic and stylish without the nuances of being overcrowded with curios and decorative pieces. The floors were made of medium dark wood which brought in an air of warmth to the place. This complemented the cream tones of the walls and the golden glow of the hanging light shades suspended from the ceiling. The tables and the straight-backed chairs were made of dark wood and brought in a coordinated contrast to the rest of the room. The open-kitchen concept gave the visitors a chance to enjoy the cooking skills of the chef.

The Food: The menu at Haiku sushi didn’t offer us too many options to choose from. There was the usual list of Japanese cuisine that included sushi, sashimi, maki rolls, soups, appetizers, deep fried dishes, main dishes, rice and noodles.

There were about eight basic appetizers which included spring rolls, sashimi salad, deep fried chicken thighs and more, three kinds of soups and a reasonably priced choice of wines.

We started with our customary Tuna and Salmon Sashimi, Dragon Roll and Unagi. The sashimi served wasn’t very fresh, but did not have a raw fishy taste either. But on the whole, the dish was stale and extremely boring. The unagi on the other hand proved to be quite tasty.

Next came our rolls, a Spicy Tuna Roll and a Rainbow Roll. The Dragon Roll was made of deep fried king prawns with avocado and mayonnaise and it ended up being over-sized and extremely dry, plus it had a burnt taste. The Rainbow Roll was a reversed roll of cucumber, tuna, avocado, salmon, cuttlefish, sea bream, wasabi and beetroot sauce. It was prepared with a bit too much of wasabi which made it very unappetizing and unappealing. The sizes of the portion of the Dragon Roll and Rainbow Roll were too big making them difficult to eat them in a bite. We ended up taking multiple bites which made the rolls fall apart and the whole experience was a mess. We decided to stop trying to taste the rolls and ordered some Shrimp Tempura which was simply horrible.

The Service: The service at Haiku sushi was good. This could be attributed to the fact that there were just two other occupied tables consisting of few people.

The Calculated Impression: Our overall impression of the Haiku sushi wasn’t very favorable. The décor of the place and the location were suitably impressive. But the quality of the food served was far below acceptable levels and we wouldn’t recommend this as a place for a good meal and get together. Our rating is Between Bombastic and Not (not to far from a Not Bombastic rating).

What I liked: The décor and the reasonably priced wine list at the Haiku sushi.

What I didn’t like: The food served at the Haiku sushi.

Rating: Between Bombastic and Not.

Haiku Restaurant Address and Telephone Number
Fairmont Heliopolis
Uruba Street
Cairo,
Egypt
P.O. Box 2466
Tel: +20-2267 7730/40
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