Dial into Radio Cairo

Location

83 Spofforth Street, Cremorne, Sydney, Australia

Phone 

+61299082649

Features

BYOB - $3.30 pp

Operation Hours

Sun-Sat 1800-2200

Situated just off Military Road at Cremorne, Radio Cairo is one of Sydney’s underrated restaurants. When you hear the name 'Radio Cairo', you think that you are in for an Egyptian/North African experience. However  the restaurant’s diverse menu resembles more like a culinary ‘Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego’ with dishes from areas stretching from Northern Africa, Asia, Carribbean and the Southern United States

When you arrive, you think you might have the wrong location. With abandoned shops and take-away pizza and Indian restaurants bookending it into alleyway, you start contemplating the rather attractive Thai restaurant, Papaya across the road as a better option.  If you push those feelings aside, your persistence will pay off. You are greeted by the friendly staff seconds after you slide the glass door open.

The restaurant layout is quite unique and it resembles the places it represents on the menu. It definitely takes you away from Sydney’s lower North Shore. Situated in the middle of the restaurant, the bar and kitchen put out distinct aromas making your mouth water and getting you in the mood for your pending meal.

Radio Cairo suits all types of dining. With the infamous Cremorne Orpheum across the road, it allows you to come in and grab a meal before you catch a flick and snack on a fitting starter like the popcorn shrimp. The restaurant links in well with the neighbouring cinema with discreetly situated televisions added to the decor, showing classic movies like 'The Party' and 'Tarzan'. You can sit at the bar for a quick meal or sit at high-tops situated under matured cacti for that ‘lazy meal’ feeling. The restaurant could be the perfect scene of a Wes Anderson movie. 

If you want a massive feast, where you can plant yourself down and hoover as much food as possible, then this probably the place for you. The starters are amazing, small in portions but large in taste. The South African lamb sosaties, Limpopo crocodile wings and the handmade Boerwors sausages come with sauces and marianades and are highly recommended.

A must from the mains are the Jamaican BBQ pork ribs and the Tunisian slow roasted lamb shanks (pictured, right). The Cajun ‘Blackened’ snapper fillets soaked in a Louisiana hot sauce is a definite podium finisher. Without the bones, they are unofficially the ‘Buffalo Wings of the Sea’ and are way too easily consumed. Make sure these three are staples of your platter, the recommended way to dine, giving you a taste of what this place can offer with the diverse menu.

The main menu also features an Hikkaduwa baby octopus curry, which seemed like an interesting choice, probably better left for the strong stomachs out there.

If you can’t handle spice, then Radio Cairo may just give you a personal case of Egyptian civil unrest. Lucky for you, the bar is well stocked with a plethora of exotic beers, wines and spirits to combat the spice and the deep burn.

The desserts are amazing featuring a tasty Blueberry Brulee, Chocolate Cake and a ‘little Portugese tart’. If you think that you might need to kick-start the digestion process, the peppermint ice cream is probably a smart choice.

The negatives are pretty hard to find. The parking can be frustrating but more often than not, you can jag a pole-position park during the week. A lengthy walk might just be what you need after a decent three-course feast.

Do yourself a flavour and head to Radio Cairo. This little jewel of the Nile will no doubt provide for an amazing night.