Nestled on the first floor of one of Korba’s architecturally stunning buildings is the latest Italian sensation to hit the city, Pepenero; a place that is meant to encompass the authenticity of Italy in the heart of Cairo. The décor is a comfortable amalgam of upscale industrial, a touch of rustic, and streamlined modernity. Naked pipes snake up the walls and light bulbs encased in cheese grates hang from crates on the ceiling; thick twines of knotted rope are looped through wooden shelves and sleek black and white photos are scattered in artsy arrangements.
“People who come to Pepenero come to have a real Italian food experience in a restaurant,” head chef Carlo Giovanni Iannotti tell us as we take a seat in the sprawling terrace. “The concept is fresh food cooked in the moment - if you order lasagna I make the lasagna the minute you make the order; I don’t just have a portion in the freezer that I heat up.” The native of Southern Italy conceptualised the spot as a place where Italian authenticity could be recreated, everything from the vibe to the culinary integrity, insisting on using solely the freshest ingredients; a lot of which are procured directly form Italy – “for the pizza we use 100% buffalo mozzarella, for truffle oil we buy the entire truffle and take it from there,” – to making sure the traditional method of creating the dishes was the only way they were made. “Italian food is very simple, but you need a very high quality of the raw products. If they aren’t fresh the final result wont be good,” the chef explains. “[Founder] Mohamed Hanafi truly gave me the opportunity to make real Italian food in Cairo – not what foreigners think it is!”

Local

Eat and Drink

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See and Do

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Shopping

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