At a Masterclass by the World's Best Restaurant

When the chef behind the world’s best restaurant—voted by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants—arrives in Cairo to lead a masterclass, you don’t let that opportunity pass, no matter how little you know about cooking.

I found myself seated between the culinary team from Hyatt Regency Cairo West, whose expertise had already shone through the event’s exclusive breakfast buffet. Fully aware that my own kitchen skills paled in comparison, I expected to miss every word Chef Eduard Xatruch—co-founder of Disfrutar and our instructor—had to say. Amid global chefs who redefine gastronomical ventures on the daily and the minds behind one of Egypt’s most coveted hotels, what would I know?The methods behind Disfrutar’s award-winning creations felt more like play. It was like to a chemistry lesson, only the compounds became food, and the teacher invented every reaction. Chef Xatruch demonstrated how to transform sweet corn into a block of alginate bubbles, meld butter and seaweed into an effervescent garnish, and spin lychee into an edible pearl necklace.Chef Xatruch said that at Disfrutar, they try to make their dishes into a game between them and their guests. Meals arrive in mirrored boxes that hide your caviar-topped course until the server unlocks it, forcing you to deconstruct the illusion first. Bubble-butter is presented under a magnifying glass so you can explore each crevice. Inside the kitchen, the process is just as much a game.
After an hour of plates calibrated to the millimeter, Chef Xatruch said he would make eggs. The room eased. Eggs suggested simplicity. They were not simple. They arrived dusted with spice, fried with a precision that made them shimmer under the lights. And then the pan caught. The eggs clung. The room broke into laughter. In that moment it was clear: even here, perfection had limits.