Cairo According to: Farah El Charkawy

Before opening her own pastry shop, Fôu, Farah El Charkawy was an arbitration lawyer. But making the leap from courtrooms to croquembouche, as we wrote in our profile of Farah five years ago, was baked into her before she ever entered the world of law. In 2012, her social media bio read: “One day, I’ll have my own salon de thé.” A little over a decade later, Farah began Fôu from her Cairo home as a cloud kitchen, growing it from an in-the-know fan favourite to a District 5 hotspot in just 20 months.

Here, the lawyer-turned-pastry chef tells us about the garden of her childhood home, reveals her favourite spots in her favourite neighbourhood, El Fostat, and describes the Maadi bookstore that takes you back centuries.

What’s a place that means Cairo to you?

Neighbourhoods overlooking the River Nile. A Felucca on the Nile, for example, is where I find peace in Cairo and enjoy its beauty. Cairo is a very chaotic city; it has different flavours that varies from one hour to the next on the same day. Qasr El Eini Street is one of those beautiful streets where it can be very relaxing in the very early morning and very chaotic during the day.

Complete the following: Cairo is…

Beautifully chaotic.

What’s your neighbourhood like?

The neighbourhood where I was raised was on a hill. It used to be a very calm neighbourhood, with fresher air compared to the city centre and a relaxed atmosphere. My house was surrounded with trees and flowers and from my roof I used to see the pyramids. You could hear the birds every morning singing and see from my balcony the different street gardens.

But my favourite neighbourhood in Cairo is El Fostat. Karyet El Fokhareen and Darb 17/18 are some of my favourite spots there.

Your go-to food spot?

Eatery CFC.

Your go-to café?

Fôu.

Your go-to date spot?

Estro.

What isn’t a Cairo landmark but should be?

Al Kotob Khan Maadi. It’s a beautiful library, very nostalgic to my taste, with wooden floors and shelves everywhere. It offers a couple of indoor chairs and tables overlooking a side window on the street. There is something about the energy of this place. It brings you back to a different century. It’s a place full of books, where you can read and study while enjoying coffee.

Tell us a song that feels like Cairo.

Teer Bina Ya Alby – Mohammed Fawzy

What's a place in Cairo you wish you could revisit for the first time?

Beit El Keretleya.