Cairo, FUL Galore!

Finally, a taxi driver told us the true best ful restaurant. The kind of place where the locals sit and dip and dip and dip until their stomachs explode with fava bean puree. It's called Acher Saah, which I can try to translate (with the little Arabic skills I have) as "other hour". I think.

We wanted EVERYTHING. But we didn't really know what everything meant, because the menu was only in Arabic. Luckily, we had Shira, our trusty Arabic speaker. And six waiters who all wanted to help the foreigners. 
First, obviously, some falafel. Of the fava bean variety. (read previous post for further explanation.) 
Then came... surprise! Veggies for dipping. And lucky for me, full eggplants. Once this plate arrived, Acher Saah was golden in my mind. Who delivers eggplants!?!? Tomatos, pickles, yes, sure.. but eggplant!? What a treat.

We ordered four different plates of ful. The first was this one, with full fava beans instead of mashed creamed beans. It also had tomatoes and onions on top, which really added to the whole plate. I think this dish was everyone's least favorite, but it was my favorite because I put a spoonful of it (full beans, veggies) on top of every bite of the other kinds, just to make each spoonful feel different. And with pita, it made little sandwiches instead of just dips.

The other three types of ful were of the creamy variety: one mixed with tahina, one I can't remember, and one mixed with tomatoes. ALL very very good, but kind of hard to distinguish when you're ravenously stuffing them in your mouth one after the other in a frenzy of feasting. 

FEAST!


The whole experience was a whirlwind of digestion. I think we ate so fast we could barely taste. But we all loved it. And when we left, no one was comfortable.... all of our bellies were exploding over our pants in happy fullness. Cairo is hectic, its streets are wild, and the atmosphere chaotic. This restaurant fit in perfectly.