Mirai: Delectable Asian food, at a price

I've never liked Sequoia. The view is priceless, yes, but it is ridiculously over-priced and it managed, over the years, to hire some of the most unprofessional, unfriendly and obnoxious staff in town.  When the owners decided to grace Cairo with a nice and reasonably priced eatery, Left Bank, I decided to give them another shot.

As of last month, a new bistro specializing in Japanese and Thai food has joined the growing family – Mirai.

Upon arrival we were hastily greeted while staff members exchanged uncanny smirks, irritating and off-color given that nobody opened the door for us and I had a leg injury while my mother is an elderly woman who uses a cane.

That said, the interior is lovely: high tables for teppanyaki as well as a sushi bar. The walls are lined with lightly colored wood; the ceiling is adorned with wooden patterns resting on pillars to the dark floors which project the air of a sophisticated indoor patio. The front wall of the restaurant is glass, which makes for good lighting and shows off the magnificent view. Three large porcelain-like Asian statues decorate the deck outside this Asian haven.

The menu comes in the form of a little black book which looks nice but, functionality-wise, sucks. The font is small, the multiple-page hardback is a little tiring and it has no Arabic. This is still Egypt after all, as you may know.

We were welcomed with a hot towel and a hot lemongrass shot which tasted like warm water. We opted for soup and appetizers: Tom Yum Goong Nam Kon (LE40) was an impeccable mélange of coconut milk, shrimps and mushroom. The taste was perfection, the mild sweetness of the milk harmonically accentuated the zing of the pungent herbs and the hot Asian sauce, although the shrimps were scarce. The Miso soup (LE30) was delectable and perfectly suits those who don’t appreciate sweetness in savory dishes. 

As for the appetizers, nothing failed us. The Shrimp Konafa (LE80) were fresh and crisp, Meiang Yuoun (LE35) – non-fried veggie spring rolls – were perfection, served with a thick peanut paste. Unfortunately, the dumplings were not available so we instead opted for Po Pia Pak (LE40) which were too fried, too crispy and had very little stuffing. The portions were small.

The Pla Neung Ma Now (LE80), steamed white fish, was too salty and fishy. Kang Phed Nuer (LE80), or meat with red curry, was flavorsome and the bamboo shoots and courgettes accentuated the taste, the coconut milk was the perfect addition to the plate (but may be a little too sweet for some).  For the sushi and sashimi the menu turns into gibberish, however, my knowledgeable server recommended the Salmon Sashimi (LE45) which was good, fresh and evenly sliced.  The crispy roll was bland but the Crazy Roll (LE75) was really crazy, slightly spicy and tasteful, softened by a touch of seasoned mayo.  

The Mirai experience was pleasant and entertaining. Ahmed the maitre d'hotel was friendly and extremely helpful but my almost-perfect lunch was spoiled by an unbearable smell of sewage that would whiff by occasionally when the door to the back area opened. It would appear Mirai suffers from a damaged drain system.

The restaurant opens at 4 pm and closes at 12 am, except on Fridays when it opens at noon. Mirai is located on 53 Aboul Fedda Street, Zamalek.