Shogun restaurant, Intercontinental, Citystars, Cairo

Cool, dark and mostly minimalist Japanese restaurant with a large fish tank, the Shogun has plenty of appealing sushi and sashimi dishes on the menu or you can watch one of the chefs adroitly prepare teppanyaki right in front of you. Tables are set in traditional Japanese style with chopsticks and the food is served on stylish white crockery. As an appetiser, you might be given a spicy fried calamari courtesy of the chef. Among the starters, the five Japanese spring rolls, stuffed with vegetables and served with a spicy sauce, are very crispy, very hot and very nice. You can follow that with the Shogun Special (about 140 Egyptian pounds) - a refreshing soup, followed by a platter containing a delicate piece of white fish, bite-sized chunks of succulent meat (the beef is particularly good), fried rice and a salad. To drink, there is saki and Japanese beer or the local Sakara Gold. Unfortunately, some of your fellow diners will probably be lone business people and you might get plenty of time to lap up the subdued atmosphere as the main course, in particular, can take a while to arrive. Still, the food is excellent and, unlike some places in Cairo, you probably won't get a dodgy stomach. 7/10