Cairo Restaurants (Vol. 02): Xodó Restaurant - Four Seasons First Nile Boat

Stepping across the Nile water and into the clean, fresh interior of the First Nile Boat is your first indicator that this is a waterside venue worthy of its illustrious title.  Four Seasons First Residence’s brand new Brazilian restaurant, XODÓ, is bringing a large, very juicy slice of Rio to Cairo and is shaping up to be one of the most unique additions to the city’s already colorful dining scene.

As one of several high-concept restaurants set to open on the First Nile Boat, Xodo fuses the tradition of Brazilian cuisine with the contemporary dining experience that Four Seasons First Residence has come to be known for – and yes, they do the whole grilled-meat-on-a-skewer thing we’ve all drooled at on TV.

‘Churrascaria’ is a staple in the South American nation’s cuisine and sees staff cut succulent strips of beef and chicken off of a still sizzling skewer and straight onto your plate. Beyond this most carnivorous of delights, however, the authentic taste of Brazil can be found all across Xodo’s menu, even in its drink offerings which feature a range of different Brazilian-inspired cocktails.

Food-wise, the menu offers an eclectic variety of appetisers and fresh salads that are still very much rooted in Brazilian flavours, and it’s all down to a man who knows a thing or two about Brazilian cuisine. Having spent almost half of his life perfecting his own brand of modern Brazilian food, acclaimed Chef Guilherme Reis brings a wealth of experience and a creatively contemporary approach.

“I grew up in a humble environment where simple ingredients were used in every home, so I learned over the years to use these ingredients and elevate them to renowned five star signature dishes,” the Sao Paolo native said. “Coming from a traditional Brazilian family, most of our celebrations are centred on food, herbs and spices.”

Thrown in a Nile view to die for, a chic setting and an open kitchen that fills the whole restaurant with the most remarkable of aromas and you have restaurant that will set a new standard for dining-out in Cairo. 

Décor & Ambience

Clean, modern lines, a warm mix of wood floors and furniture in different hardwood shades, a great view out onto the Nile. There’s a jungle theme in the bathrooms and a samba and other Brazilian musical vibes playing on the soundtrack.

Cairo Restaurants (Vol. 01): 9 Pyramids Lounge - the First Restaurant at the Great Pyramids

Dinner with a view? It doesn’t get more spectacular than the newly unveiled 9 Pyramids Lounge at the historic Great Pyramids of Giza and Great Sphinx site close to Cairo, Egypt.

There's an Instagrammable view, having one of the Seven Wonders of the World as your view for a spectacular sunrise breakfast, exquisite lunch or a majestic dinner -- especially when you have all of the above after exploring the incredible plateau. We're talking about 9 Pyramids Lounge.

To combat the fall in tourist revenue since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, Egypt has launched a massive restaurant complex with stunning views of the Great Pyramids of Giza, and a fleet of 30 electric buses that will ferry tourists from the city to the site.

9 Pyramids Lounge and Restaurant, which is managed and supervised by the Orascom Investment Holding Company, is located on the southern side of the pyramids plateau and overlooks nine pyramids in a unique and picturesque view.

9 Pyramids Lounge and Restaurant provides its various services of unique meals and drinks, which possess the highest quality, in addition to the capacity of holding a number of special events, in the arms of the great Egyptian civilization.

9 Pyramids Lounge located on the southern side of the Giza Plateau and overlooking nine pyramids, guests are sure to enjoy a unique dining experience. The restaurant and lounge take up a total 1,341 square meters divided into indoor and outdoor seating, , in addition to a private car park attached to the restaurant.

The restaurant is a simple wooden building. Visitors can choose to sit at tables or on pillows spread on the ground, Bedouin-style.

Serving Egyptian food, 9 Pyramids Lounge is open from 8 am to 6 pm, but last entry is 4 pm. 

The trial operation of the first environmentally friendly electric bus will begin through six main stations, starting from the Visitor Center station, passing through Panorama station, then the Menkaure station, Khufu station, then the Khafre station, ending at the Sphinx station before returning to the Visitor Center. 

The company is presenting the first model of an approved sales outlet for holders of licenses issued by the competent authorities only, as part of the development of the vendor system within the pyramids plateau in a distinct and upscale manner befitting the greatness and splendor of the ancient Egyptian civilization represented by all the antiquities contained in the region.

Furthermore, Dr. Khaled Al-Anani, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, stated in the opening Ceremony that in light of the engineering completion of 100 percent of the project to develop the antiquities area of ​​the pyramids and raise the efficiency of services in it, which was implemented by the Armed Forces Engineering Authority with government funding, preparations are underway to continue operating the project and that there will be a visitation from the visitors' entrance from the Fayoum Road before mid-2021.

He said: "Today we announce the opening of the first tourist restaurant in the Panorama area of ​​the Pyramids Plateau - without any heavy building or construction in accordance with the requirements of the archaeological area - as the first fruits of the protocol for providing and operating services in the area between the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the Egyptian company, Orascom Investment Holding, which was signed in December 2018."

The Minister of Tourism and Antiquities added: “The restaurant is a simple wooden building with pillows spread on the ground, like the Bedouin style, in a unique location that sees all the pyramids of Giza.”

He also indicated the arrival of the first environmentally friendly electric tourist bus that will be used during the visit in the region after preventing the entry of vehicles and buses inside the archaeological area in order to preserve the antiquities, when the development project is completed and raising the efficiency of tourism services is opened before mid-2021. 

 

The development project guarantees the provision of transportation within the archaeological area, including buses and vehicles powered by electricity and environmentally friendly energy, and the provision of mobile and self-cleaning toilets, while introducing fast food, food and beverage services in the area in the places specified and approved by the Supreme Council of Antiquities, and other agreed tourism services. 

 

This is in the context of the ministry’s keenness to improve the quality of services provided to visitors in the region, which is one of the most important tourist destinations in the world.

Also, Enany stressed the Egyptian state’s keenness to have a tourist and archaeological infrastructure, which has a positive impact on the incoming tourism movement to Egypt, explaining that in conjunction with the completion of the project to develop the antiquities of the pyramid, increasing the capacity of Sphinx International Airport to double its capacity and opening it in 2021, the Grand Egyptian Museum will change the touristic map of Cairo.

Sawiris, chairman and CEO of Orascom Investment, said that the main goal that was set in mind since the first day of our entry into the project to manage and operate visitor services in the Giza pyramids area is to upgrade the services provided to a level befitting the civilization of Egypt and the greatness of this archaeological area while protecting it from pollution with all its kinds, maintaining the cleanliness and prestige of the place, and providing a unique and distinctive experience for tourists.

New discovery, Sakkara: Hawass Announces New Archaeological Discovery in Saqarra

The Egyptian Mission working in the Saqqara antiquities area next to the pyramid of King Teti, the first king of the Sixth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom, announced Saturday important archaeological discoveries dating back to the old and New Kingdoms.

The mission is headed by Dr. Zahi Hawass, who works in cooperation with the Ministry of Antiquities and Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

These discoveries will rewrite the history of this region, especially during the 18th and 19th dynasties of the New Kingdom, during which King Teti was worshiped, and the citizens at that time were buried around his pyramid.

Mostafa El-Feki, Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandria, said that the Zahi Hawass Center for Egyptology has been practicing its activities successfully since its establishment in 2018.

Today, El Feki expressed his happiness to participate in the ceremony announcing the archaeological discovery of the center, in Saqqara, which is a new breakthrough in the process of discovering Pharoahs antiquities in this region.

Hawass stressed that the mission had discovered the funerary temple of Queen Nearit, the mother of King Teti, part of which was already uncovered in the years prior.

 

The mission also found three mud-brick warehouses attached to the temple in the southeastern side – these stores were built to store temple provisions, offerings and tools that were used in the queen’s tomb.

Among the most important discoveries of the mission also at the site was the unveiling of 52 burial shafts, that reach to 10-12 meters deep, and inside these shafts hundreds of wooden coffins dating back to the New Kingdom were uncovered. This is the first time that coffins dating back 3,000 years have been found in the Saqqara region.

 

These coffins are wooden and anthropoid, and are many scenes of the gods that were worshiped during this period were represented on the surface of the coffins, in addition to various excerpts from the Book of the Dead that help the deceased to pass through the journey of the other world.

 The mission also succeeded in discovering a cache of anthropoid wooden coffins. Inside this shaft, 50 coffins were found in good condition.

The mission found inside the wells large numbers of archaeological artifacts and large numbers of statues in the form of deities such as the god Osir and Ptah Sukur Uzir, in addition to a unique discovery, where the mission found a four-meter-length papyrus and one meter in width representing Chapter 17 of the Book of the Dead, on which the name of its owner is recorded, which is (Bu-Khaa-Af).

 

The same name was found recorded on four orchid statues; a wooden coffin was also found on the human body of the same person, and many beautiful shabty statues made of wood, stone and vines were found. It dates back to the era of the New Kingdom.

The discoveries found in the shaft are considered one of the most important findings uncovered in the Saqqara region. The mission also found many wooden funerary masks as well as a shrine dedicated to god Anubis (Guardian of the Cemetery) and beautiful statues of Anubis, as well as many games that the deceased used to play in the other world, such as the game (Senet), which is similar to the modern chess, as well as the (Twenty) game with the name of the player recorded.

Many artifacts were found that represent birds such as geese, as well as a magnificent bronze ax, indicating that its owner was one of the army leaders during the New Kingdom. The upper part of the stelae represents the deceased and his wife in an adoration gesture in front of god Osiris, while the lower part represents the deceased sitting and behind him his wife seated on a chair. Below the chair of the wife there is one of their daughters sitting on her legs and smelling the lotus flower, and above her head is the ointment flask.

In front of the man and his wife we see six of their daughters and sons, who were depicted in two registers, the upper one for seated daughters smelling the lotus flowers and above their heads are the ointment flasks, and the lower one for standing sons.

The mission also found impressive quantities of pottery dating back to the New Kingdom, including pottery that gives us evidence about the commercial relations between Egypt and Crete, Syria, Palestine. This discovery confirmed the existence of many workshops that produced these coffins, which were bought by the locals, as well as mummification workshops.

 

The mission studied the mummy of a woman and determined that this woman suffered from a chronic disease known as “Mediterranean fever” or “swine fever”, a disease that comes from direct contact with animals and leads to an abscess in the liver.

 

Dr. Sahar Selim, a professor of radiology at Qasr al-Aini, conducted studies on mummies using X-ray, and determined the causes of death and the age of the deceased on death, as well as studying a mummy for a young child.

 

Hawass confirmed that this discovery is considered the most important archaeological discovery during the current year and will make Saqqara, along with other discoveries, an important tourist and cultural destination. 

 

It will also rewrite the history of Saqqara during the New Kingdom, in addition to confirming the importance of the worship of King Teti during the 19th Dynasty of the New Kingdom.3

 Source:see-news

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