By Miret el Naggar

In Cairo's posh district of Zamalek, a friend of mine and I visited one of the city's notorious Ramadan tents.

Set up outdoors on the banks of the Nile, the tent had a beautiful view of the river and the city lights.

Waiters sporting traditional red felt fezes whirled trays of food to the guests who lounged on comfortable couches, smoking from bubbling water pipes.

My friend and I decided to go for a traditional sohour, the late meal Muslims have before dawn when they start their fast, which lasts until dusk. The sohour was a traditional dish of fava beans, which is part of every Egyptian's diet, a dish of falafel, an omelet, green salad and yogurt dips. And of course the meal wouldn't have been enjoyable without the infamous flat Arabic bread.

The atmosphere was electric tonight because the much-loved Al Ahly football team was playing against a Libyan team in the African Champions League. Many faces were glued to the huge plasma screens hanging on every corner of the tent and with every goal, or even attack, the crowd cheered.

Others, who were not so excited about the game, chit chatted, played cards, or simply enjoyed the cool breeze.

A DJ in a dark corner of the tent enhanced the comfortable atmosphere by playing a mixture of Western and Arabic songs.

Though the tent was packed with guests, the waiter told us they had had more crowded nights. "Tonight, there are some tables free," he  said. And true, when i had tried to book earlier in the week, the head waiter had told me there was not one free table this weekend, which is Friday and Saturday in Egypt.

Finally, stuffed, relaxed, and a little light-headed from the water pipe, i left with my friend.