? One thing about royals, you can’t tell them what they can’t do. New Cairo’s Duchess at Polaris Mall is certainly no exception — she gets what she wants, and serves what she wants, no matter the time of day. Even if that means breakfast in the evening. You see, we’ve been hearing chatter about Duchess’ famed breakfast for quite some time now, and so naturally, we had to see what all the fuss was about. We found out…and you need to, too.

Nothing too fancy, and that’s the point. When you first step foot in Duchess, you’ll quickly realize this is a spot where you lay low and put your legs up. Duchess is humble and doesn’t like to flaunt its aristocratic status; the seating area is cozy, lush, and comfortable with a direct view of New Cairo’s North 90 street.

So, for the main event — what’s on the menu? Quite a lot — you can choose between a plethora of breakfast sandwiches, omelettes, a slew of creative savory breakfast specials, and a selection of sweet breakfast dishes. Breakfast is Duchess’ signature, but an all-day menu — offering hearty burgers, generously-portioned pastas, and a few familiar main dishes — provides ample choice for those to whom eggs are strictly morning business.

What did we get? We’re glad you asked. A quick exchange with our server let us in on the fact that the corn ribs were their signature appetizer and we simply couldn’t resist. Joining the ribs’ ranks were the Bacon Butty sandwich, — bacon, eggs, aioli, and cheese in sourdough — the steak and mushrooms omelette, the Sir Benedick, — an eggs benedict dish with bacon — and for the metaphorical cherry on top, the House Chicken Alfredo. A peach iced tea was the beverage of choice, and as such, the feast began.

We’ll be having breakfast for dinner every day now, thank you. Duchess’ all-day breakfast gimmick is anything but. It works, not only because it’s the only restaurant in New Cairo doing that, but because breakfast is indeed Duchess’ bread and butter — they’ve perfected it. The Bacon Butty drenched us in sauce and we couldn’t complain. The steak and mushroom omelette was a match made in heaven, and Sir Benedick deserved to be knighted once more for its valiant efforts to successfully bring peace to our stomachs.

As it turns out, our server was correct. The corn ribs appetizers appear to be popular for a reason, and we’ll definitely be going back for some more. The alfredo was nothing out of the ordinary, perhaps because it was overshadowed by its breakfast counterparts.

Our verdict: Duchess promises and delivers. In terms of taste, the kitchen has perfected its recipes and portions are quite on the generous side, so you’ll be getting your money’s worth.

You can find Duchess at New Cairo’s Polaris Mall.

? Per person: EGP 600-700

? Outdoor seating: Yes

? Alcohol: No

? Accessibility friendly: Yes

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