Have you ever dreamed of having dinner in the Met's Temple of Dendur? Well, the extremely creative and colorful Egyptian restaurant Tut's Hub Royal Cuisine is as close as any of us are likely to get to this. Located on Steinway Avenue, a couple blocks south of "Little Egypt" in Astoria (Queens) rests the nearly six month old restaurant. Tut's Hub Royal Cuisine, an ornate three story presence was created by the handsome highly energetic Khaled Abbelhauleem, a native of Alexandria. When I spoke to him he was impassioned how to "create to construct something from the very start" was always a dream of his. His dreams have turned into a wonderful reality, as this restaurant combines an amazing atmospheric setting, with delicious, "unique" Egyptian dishes, and if that is not enough . . . a "playroom" for children.

Who needs a smiling attractive hostess when you have a golden statue of the warrior goddess Sekhmet to greet you? This impressive statue is just the beginning of an astonishing display of creativity and artistic talent in creating a setting that bespeaks Ancient Egypt that runs through the three floors of Tut's Hub. The walls are striking examples of museum-quality art and sculpture displaying hieroglyphs, ibises, statues of well-recognized Pharaohs, and even a replica of King Tutankhamen's thrown sporting winged snakes for arms. This stunning design was a vital part of the "dream" in creating the restaurant, and because of it's importance Mr. Abdelhaleem hired the well-known Egyptian artist Mohammed Amim to do his magic. Mr. Amid began working on the decor in March 2015, the opening was in late October. Take time to look at this work closely, quite amazing.

It is not only the decor of Tut's Hub that is unusual and special . . . I am pleased to say that the food is also! Yes, they prepare delicious kebabs and koftas, and a fantastic mixed grill with lamb chops, but it is the "street food" dishes that are served from carts in cities all over Egypt that I was especially drawn to. I have never had these food items before, and they brought on unique fascinating taste sensations. Here are a couple dishes above: Upfront is the Kushari, a virtual mountain mix of rice, macaroni, lentils, chickpeas, and sprinkled about on top fried crisp onion strands. To the right is Mashy, sort of the Egyptian version of stuffed grape leaves, however, with a much more bitter taste. The "street dish" that I was totally crazy about, and I can see me returning time and again for is the Feteer. The feteer is a crepe (as it folds over) but in the shape of a small pizza pie. It is entertaining watching the feteer being made, starting with a small ball of dough and tossed all about and then filled with an assortment of fillings (you have your choice) and then put into a fire-breathing oven. I selected the following items for my feteer -  Egyptian pastrami, spicy sausage, olives, and Jack cheese. My gosh, this was an explosion of taste, and even more so when plied with their special sauce. 

On the third floor is a "Playroom" for children. What a fantastic idea, I wish more restaurants would do this. And what a playroom it is, containing video games, karaoke, lots of balls to bounce and toss about, and this with Egyptian art gracing the walls.

On the right is Khaled Abdelhaleem, the owner of Tut's Hut Royal Cuisine, and the head-chef Mimo Kamer, who is from Alexandria as well. I spent a good thirty minutes speaking with Khaled, he is impressive in his attention to detail and desire to succeed. He is outgoing and gracious, and looks forward to speaking with patrons, and is sincere in hearing their thoughts about the restaurant.

"Yes, Mr. DeMille I am ready for my close-up." And so deserved. This of course is the feteer which I swooned about before. I am in love with this dish, and it has officially made my "Favorite New Dishes of 2016!" Highly recommend this.

The stunning sculpted wall work of Mohamed Amin. This is on the second floor which is ideal for families and big groups. Between the two floors of dining the restaurant seats 118. Tut's Hub Royal Cuisine is a very creative place serving wonderful inexpensive food, I see this restaurant succeeding in a big way, and I tip my hat to Mr. Abdelhaleem for the tireless work he put into this.

Egyptian (Arabic) language lesson - "Hello" (Salam)  "Thank you" (Shukran)  "Delicious" (Ladeed)

Interesting fact about Egypt - With a population of 82 million, Egypt is the largest Arabic population of any country in the world.

Address 30-91 Steinway (off 31st Avenue) Astoria, Queens   (718) 932 - 8000