Cap D’or Bar and Restaurant

These people are snakes. I will never set foot in there again.

1) I ordered calamari and a Stella for lunch from the big aggressive and pushy woman who works there during the day. She brought me a paltry and overly seasoned saucer of fried calamari. I made a mental note to never order their calamari again. The price was way to high for what was on my plate. When I asked for the bill, it was higher than I expected. The woman didn’t speak English well and I don’t speak Arabic. I figured it was VAT and a service charge. I don’t remember exactly how much the bill was but I was supposed to receive 50 EGP in change. This pushy woman told me that she couldn’t make change, so the 50 EGP she owed me would instead be her tip! I don’t mind tipping, but whether to leave a tip is my decision to make, not hers. First bring me the change, then I give you a tip. Most businesses would send someone to a neighbor shop to get change. Not her. She stood there like a wall of deceit, made no effort to get my change, and had the audacity to inform me that my change was now her tip!

2) I went again last night hoping to have a better experience. I ordered barboun, pointing directly to it on the menu. I placed my finger on the menu item “barboun”, and I said “Barboun”. I asked for a beer also. (I lived in Turkey for 5 years where I was accustomed to eating barboun regularly. I expected to be served the same fish). When the dish came, accompanied by a plate of tahini, it was a large pile of tiny overly fried fish that looked like anchovies. Although I was very disappointed, I gave the restaurant the benefit of the doubt and assumed that “barboun” didn’t mean the same thing in Egypt. But halfway through the meal, I felt that something was amiss. I searched: “What are anchovies called in Egyptian Arabic?” The answer was anshooga. Then I searched: “What is red mullet called in Egyptian Arabic?” Barboun! So I called the English speaking manager to me and asked what the fish on my plate was. He said “Baby fish” and he pointed to a menu item several lines down from the barboun I had originally pointed to at the very top of the menu. I said, “I’m sorry, but I ordered barboun.” It was incomprehensible how I could have pointed to barboun, putting my finger on the menu item, and yet received another kind of fish altogether, from another part of the menu! The manager asked if I wanted barboun. I said “Yes, that’s what I ordered.” (I realised then that because I had already eaten most of the baby fish, it was only right for me to pay for that meal too. That was okay). The manager noticed that the tahini was nearly gone and asked if I’d like another plate of it. I thought that was kind of him and said “Yes, thank you.” I was under the impression that tahini came with the fish. I had not ordered tahini. They brought it and put it in front of me with the fish. Then, when the barboun came, I was given a third dish of tahini. Remember, I did not ask for tahini, they brought it with my fish and put it down in front of me. Naturally, I thought that this restaurant offered complimentary tahini just like other restaurants offer french fries or a small salad with the main meal. When I asked for the bill I was surprised to see the 850 EGP sum. I asked the manager how it could be 850 EGP. He told me, “You ate three plates of tahini.” I insisted that I had not ordered tahini and I reminded him that my original order was simply barboun and a beer: I did not order baby fish nor did I order tahini. His waiter “erroneously” brought me baby fish and tahini. He insisted that I owed 850 EGP. I was willing to pay for the baby fish but I was not willing to pay 850 because his waiter gave me things I had not asked for. I told him if he did not change the bill to reflect my original order, that I would walk out the door. He insisted that I had to pay 850. I paid him 350+ and walked out the door. He followed me down the street and around the corner. He continued to insist. But I refused.

I have since been told that this restaurant is notorious for cheating foreigners.

These people are snakes. I will never set foot in there again.

1) I ordered calamari and a Stella for lunch from the big aggressive and pushy woman who works there during the day. She brought me a paltry and overly seasoned saucer of fried calamari. I made a mental note to never order their calamari again. The price was way to high for what was on my plate. When I asked for the bill, it was higher than I expected. The woman didn’t speak English well and I don’t speak Arabic. I figured it was VAT and a service charge. I don’t remember exactly how much the bill was but I was supposed to receive 50 EGP in change. This pushy woman told me that she couldn’t make change, so the 50 EGP she owed me would instead be her tip! I don’t mind tipping, but whether to leave a tip is my decision to make, not hers. First bring me the change, then I give you a tip. Most businesses would send someone to a neighbor shop to get change. Not her. She stood there like a wall of deceit, made no effort to get my change, and had the audacity to inform me that my change was now her tip!

2) I went again last night hoping to have a better experience. I ordered barboun, pointing directly to it on the menu. I placed my finger on the menu item “barboun”, and I said “Barboun”. I asked for a beer also. (I lived in Turkey for 5 years where I was accustomed to eating barboun regularly. I expected to be served the same fish). When the dish came, accompanied by a plate of tahini, it was a large pile of tiny overly fried fish that looked like anchovies. Although I was very disappointed, I gave the restaurant the benefit of the doubt and assumed that “barboun” didn’t mean the same thing in Egypt. But halfway through the meal, I felt that something was amiss. I searched: “What are anchovies called in Egyptian Arabic?” The answer was anshooga. Then I searched: “What is red mullet called in Egyptian Arabic?” Barboun! So I called the English speaking manager to me and asked what the fish on my plate was. He said “Baby fish” and he pointed to a menu item several lines down from the barboun I had originally pointed to at the very top of the menu. I said, “I’m sorry, but I ordered barboun.” It was incomprehensible how I could have pointed to barboun, putting my finger on the menu item, and yet received another kind of fish altogether, from another part of the menu! The manager asked if I wanted barboun. I said “Yes, that’s what I ordered.” (I realised then that because I had already eaten most of the baby fish, it was only right for me to pay for that meal too. That was okay). The manager noticed that the tahini was nearly gone and asked if I’d like another plate of it. I thought that was kind of him and said “Yes, thank you.” I was under the impression that tahini came with the fish. I had not ordered tahini. They brought it and put it in front of me with the fish. Then, when the barboun came, I was given a third dish of tahini. Remember, I did not ask for tahini, they brought it with my fish and put it down in front of me. Naturally, I thought that this restaurant offered complimentary tahini just like other restaurants offer french fries or a small salad with the main meal. When I asked for the bill I was surprised to see the 850 EGP sum. I asked the manager how it could be 850 EGP. He told me, “You ate three plates of tahini.” I insisted that I had not ordered tahini and I reminded him that my original order was simply barboun and a beer: I did not order baby fish nor did I order tahini. His waiter “erroneously” brought me baby fish and tahini. He insisted that I owed 850 EGP. I was willing to pay for the baby fish but I was not willing to pay 850 because his waiter gave me things I had not asked for. I told him if he did not change the bill to reflect my original order, that I would walk out the door. He insisted that I had to pay 850. I paid him 350+ and walked out the door. He followed me down the street and around the corner. He continued to insist. But I refused.

I have since been told that this restaurant is notorious for cheating foreigners.

The most beautiful world