Koshary, Koshari...

These days I am watching my weight, and koshary, a national staple, is hardly the dish to help with that. Ladles of pasta are smothered with with ladles of rice and lentils, topped with fried onions, chickpeas and a tomato sauce. It is a dieter's nightmare, but it is simply too good to pass up just once in a while.

On its own, I am slightly indifferent to koshary, but with a bit of chilli sauce on top, it becomes a dish transformed. The added bonus is that it's very cheap, arguably one of the best cheap meals you can enjoy in Cairo. All over the city, koshary joints beckon you in, and at lunchtime one has to fight a melee of hungry diners to find a spot. With such choice on my doorstep, I set out to find the best koshary. My mission ended somewhat prematurely, as somewhere along the way, I decided that if I was ever going to lose the pounds, I had to lay off the carbs.

So, here's my pick:

Cairo Kitchen, Abdel Aziz Osman St, Zamalek - funky little place with a great salad bar and daily Egyptian specials. Their koshary is wonderful, and they're very generous with the fried onions.  But the crowning jewel is their choice of spicy sauces which make this a koshary quite unlike any other in Cairo. Top marks. They also have a branch in Maadi.

Zooba, July 26 St, Zamalek - I love this place. Everyone is served at a long communal table (and it sometimes gets a little crowded and cramped), but the food is great Egyptian fare with a twist. They serve up wonderful spiced sausages, which you can eat straight or as a sandwich, and have an unusual display of beetroot and spinach breads. Their koshary is not the best I have tried, and the shatta (hot spicy sauce) lacks a certain zing. But certainly worth a visit if koshary is not all that you are after.

Abu Tareq, Champollion Street, Downtown - this place, spread over four floors, is famous among koshary lovers. It's hard to find a table, but well worth it when you do. The koshary (pictured right) has a nuttier, more peppery taste than those in Zamalek, and is quite delicious. The chilli sauce is good too. Almost top marks, but I still prefer Cairo Kitchen.

Sayed Hanafy, Orabi Square, Downtown - this is reputed to be one of the best koshary joints in Cairo. Overlooking the pretty Orabi Square, it's a pleasant place to hang out, and not as busy as some of the others. I believe the koshary was pretty good - the only problem is I smothered it with so much shatta (which here was so much spicier than everywhere else) that my mouth was burning for the duration of the meal. So I think it was good, but then again I really can't say.