Angelo's Restaurant

Billed as an "Afritalian cafe" on the beachfront at Shark Rock Pier there is not much Italian or African about the cuisine.  It did have a few pasta dishes, some Thai platters, burgers, and several salads.  However, the ambiance is great with two patios overlooking the Indian Ocean.  The restaurant is located on the "boardwalk" next to the KFC and below Barney's (a brewhouse with great live music).  The food is very inexpensive, a full plate of pasta or half portion with a garden salad is only 49 R.  My friend commented that we only spent 3 USD more per person than we did for our seafood takeaway at lunch and we had a bottle of wine in addition to our dinner. 

Unfortunately, the food is only mediocre and the service left much to be desired.  The best I can say is everything was edible.  The waiter swore to my friend (who did not have a lot of vegetarian options to choose from on the menu) that the tuna was fresh and absolutely did not come from a can.  Hmmm, how does one flake "fresh" tuna into something that appears to have been scraped out of a can onto a salad? 

While I have never been a waiter, my brother worked for several years in the service industry.  One thing I learned from him was always write your orders down.  I don't care how long you have been a waiter or how good a memory you have, if not for your benefit, at least for the peace of mind of your customers.  People get distracted and forget things; it's human nature.  Not surprisingly I ended up with the wrong pasta and when they replaced it with the prawn dishI originally asked for I had a whopping 4 prawns mixed in with my linguine.  Woo. 

So if you happen to find yourself in Summerstrand, PE and want to relax with an oceanview then start at Angelo's with a glass of wine (I mean it's SA, can anyone here screw up the wine?) and then walk across the road to the Boardwalk entertainment complex and check out the other Italian restaurant, Leonardo's, or better yet enjoy a Greek feast at El Greco where they have friendly service and a great meal. 

The view was the best part.

 

Meze Fresh Gourmet Burrito Bar

With only a few hours to kill in Kigali after a 2 week Byumba-imposed diet of chips and croquettes, my friends and I moto-ed across town in search of the famed "Chipotle-inspired burrito place".  It's located between Kimihurura and Kacyiru.  Not known to many moto drivers my friend told them to drop us at a well-known Chinese restaurant in the area (Great Wall Chinese) and then we just walked up the hill towards the boulevard. 

Popular among local expats, if you did not know what you were looking for when you stumbled across this restaurant you might be confused by the bright colors and traditional Rwandan art.  However as soon as you approached the counter and saw the selection of fresh ingredients and multitude of options you would undoubtedly be filled with joy.

Many Americans will recognize the Chipotle-style layout (Freebirds if you're from Texas A&M)  There's a wide selection to choose from including chicken, beef, pork, or vegetarian burritos, burrito bowls, and salads.  Prices are reasonable: 2,800-4000 RWF for burritos and 1000 RWF for a beer. 

Service was quick and friendly and the food was a welcome respite from the same old same old one so often has to endure when travelling.  If you're having a craving for some Mexican style food, pop on over to Kigali and give this place a try. 

Trinity Hall

Trinity Hall, bringing people together, one drink at a time.  While I am not Irish I can still appreciate a good beer with a hearty shepherd's pie from time to time.  And from time to time I mean I used to visit this pub several times a month as it was conveniently located at the corner of Mockingbird and 75, literally a block from my old office.  It has a great patio overlooking Mockingbird Station where you can relax during the "patio weather months" and people watch.  I have so many fond memories including this place.  I celebrated my 29th birthday here:

Mmmmm.  Creme brulee. 

And had not one but two going away happy hours here before I moved to East Africa:

So many beers, so little time.

Since moving away I still manage to visit every chance I get when I come home:

Christmas 2011

So when a friend asked where I wanted to grab drinks on my only Saturday night in town I quickly responded with Trinity Hall and as per usual it didn't disappoint.  Service was friendly and attentive as always.  Many of the servers have been working there since they opened and I recognized at least three faces last night. 

I skimmed the menu and decided that a light beer would be better option on this occasion for this still jet lagged weary lady than one of their Irish whiskeys.  I perused their extensive list of beers before remembering they have one of my favorite hefeweizens, Blue Moon, a Belgian style brew, on tap.  It's a citrus-y ale best served with a slice of orange to enhance the flavor.  Girly, I know, but oh so refreshing. 

Photo credit: 40brews40days.wordpress.com

I sipped on my beer while contemplating the menu.  Did I want the traditional Shepherd's Pie, ground beef, peas, carrots & gravy, potato & melted cheese layered in a crock pot or should I go for something healthier?  I skimmed the salads but nothing was jumping out at me.  The Tuna Melt Twist caught my eye but I reminded myself that tuna melts are readily available at my neighborhood Java House back in Nairobi.  I finally settled on the Cashel Blue Burger covered in blue cheese crumbles and fried onion.  I requested it rare, something I am not prone to do in other countries for obvious reasons, and relished the still pink patty slathered with barbecue sauce.  My only wish was that it had more blue cheese; I typically like to savor the intense blue cheese taste with each bite but it was not a distinctive part of this burger.  Moderately priced (my burger and 2 beers totaled about $23), dinner here will not break the bank. 

While we ate and chatted, music got going behind us.  A musician played old Irish tunes and even managed to get the audience involved.  Had I not been sitting directly in front of the stage I probably would have enjoyed it a bit more since I found it extremely hard to hear or converse after the entertainment started.  The live music gives the bar a festive feel and I enjoy that they embrace the Irish community.

If you're ever in Dallas and love the laid back atmosphere of pubs I would definitely suggest giving this place a whirl.  Coming soon: a review of Nairobi's version of an Irish pub at Mercury Junction.   

Food Diary of a Tex Mex Addict

Pending my return to the States all I could think about was the TexMex delicacies that awaited me in my hometown of Dallas.  Upon arrival I was hoping for a Taco Bell fix but my health conscious mother instead insisted on making fixins for homemade fajitas instead.  I guess I can't complain.  Chicken grilled in taco seasoning and covered in salsa, sour cream, and cheddar is not a bad way to start a trip home to Texas.

MI COCINA

Still jetlagged (and not trusted to drive the car on the right side of the road after regularly driving on the left), I was chauffeured around town by my mother to various appointments set up in anticipation of my return.  As lunch time grew closer my stomach growled and knowing that if I requested Taco Bell I would have to indulge her deafening silent judgment while trying to enjoy my seven layer burrito.  Instead, I decided Mi Cocina, a well-known medium-range TexMex chain based in Dallas, was a better bet.  As a vegetarian she could even find something on their extensive menu to appease her palate.

We rolled into the Coit and Campbell location on the Dallas/Richardson border and slid in a booth before the lunch rush hit.  I devoured the tortilla chips and salsa and chugged iced teas like there was no tomorrow.  Saving myself for the best fajitas in Dallas (Uncle Julio's), I ordered the Rico chicken salad with a variety of dressings on the side.  Spicy blue cheese, chili garlic vinaigrette, and good old Ranch; I just could not decide between the three.  The menu did not lie, the blue cheese was spicy and the the vinaigrette had a kick.  I alternated between those and the cooling Ranch with each bite. 

Rico salad with beef. Photo credit: marniefernandez.wordpress.com

The service was decent, not excellent, by Western standards, but was a welcome change to someone who has been dining in countries with no concept of the term customer service.  The food was served quickly and the waiter offered options not listed on the menu.  Furthermore, while I do not consider myself a demanding consumer, it was refreshing to be empowered to return a salad with no guilt after it appeared with unadvertised bacon liberally sprinkled across it.

GLORIA'S

Wednesday saw more appointments and running all over town but ended with a leisurely dinner at my favorite neighborhood Gloria's.  The Gloria's on Greenville Avenue has long been one of my go-to happy hour spots when I lived in Dallas and worked at Southern Methodist University just down the road.

Photo credit: www.gloriasrestaurants.com

As I sat down and waited for my girlfriend I snacked on tortilla chips, salsa, and their specialty black bean dip.  I perused the menu and tried to decide between their Tex-Mex, El Salvadoran, "Salvatex", and Mexican dishes.  The cheese stuffed pupusas beckoned, however I refrained and stuck with the grilled chicken salad.  Not very Mexicany, but I since the next day was to bring the typical Thanksgiving over indulgence I thought it best to abstain.

The salad was large and very filling with grilled chicken, romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, jicama, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and red onions.  Deprived of authentic Ranch dressing in Nairobi I stuck with my old favorite.  My friend ordered a small chicken soup "hearty...with lots of vegetables, chunks of chicken and rice".  Granted she's a stick figure, but she was full from the small bowl and commented on how thick and hearty the soup was.  

Monday through Thursday the Greenville location has all day happy hours with $4 glasses of sangria and margaritas and $3 domestic beers.  Perhaps it was the location but we discovered that they no longer serve pitchers; which in retrospect is probably for the best considering the large university population it attracts.  Instead we sipped on glasses of sweet, but not very strong, red sangria.  The service was amazing; there was always a busboy refilling my water and bring me more salsa.  The waiters and staff were incredibly friendly and no one tried to hurry us out the door.  The prices are reasonable; with a salad, a few drinks, and a tip; my bill came out to just about $27.  

UNCLE JULIO'S

After indulging in the Thanksgiving standards I made a trip to yet another Tex Mex favorite, Uncle Julio's, not far from my parent's hacienda at Keller Springs and the Tollway.  Uncle Julio's has been a family favorite for many years and I even had my 16th birthday party dinner there back in the day.  They are renowned for their specialty "swirl" cocktail, a mix of frozen margarita and sangria.  And according to the sign outside they now boast a happy hour starting at 3pm Monday through Thursdays.

Photo credit: www.unclejulios.com

They now offer a fajitas especial platter for $2 more than the classic fajitas.  Which pretty much just means you don't have to order everything (i.e. sour cream, cheese, guacamole, and other fixins) on the side anymore.  They are still covered in a whipped melted butter which sounds kind of iffy, but, trust me, is delicious.  The meat is never dried out thanks to the buttery topping.  At $18.95 an order this isn't the most economical platter of grilled chicken and fixins you'll ever have but it is a heaping serving and I guarantee you'll leave stuffed.

Fajita feast - Jan 2012

Indulging in some sopapillas

I also love the salsa which has a distinctive wood fired taste.  My friend said he didn't like it at first but it grew on him but his wife agreed with me that it was good and had a smoky flavor.  The tortilla chips are thinner than your typical Mexican style chip which is annoying if you're trying to scoop up some guacamole and the poor structural integrity of the chip causes it to continually break, but they are much lighter and less filling than typical chips.

The service was great, even though the restaurant was packed with probable Black Friday shoppers pouring in from the nearby mall.  The waitstaff was quick and efficient and quickly replaced a mistaken order of queso with the desired guacamole and had our entrees out in no time. 

Naan Sushi

Since I'm only in the Big D for about 9 days I have packed full my calendar with lunches and dinners with friends I haven't seen since I was in town last Christmas.  My first day back I arranged to meet a friend for an early dinner at what I expected to be Indian restaurant in Uptown.  I was a bit confused when I discovered that we would actually be eating sushi at Naan.  We made it in time for their daily happy hour special; they host an ever changing selection of specials ranging from half priced rolls to $3 bottomless mimosas and bloody marys on the weekend.

Many of the listed dishes had regional appropriate names which, while fun, made it confusing to determine exactly what we were ordering.  I wish I could remember all of the names of the rolls my friend ordered for us.  One of them she informed me, "tasted like clouds".  She was right, it was delicious.  As a bad foodie, I have completely forgotten which roll this was but it sat in a delicious green sauce.

Along with the go-to must haves, the Philadelphia and Rainbow rolls, we also branched out and tried the Volcano roll (a California roll topped with scallop, crawfish, crab meat, smelt egg, onion and special sauce).  And the sauce was special.  So delicious.  I could not stop eating.  As a result, despite only 3 glasses of wine between us we got a $75 bill for our over indulgence and inability to pare down our sushi selections.  It was totally worth it.  

My only complaint would be that as we lingered for a few minutes over the bill the waitress returned and hovered while we were mid-conversation trying to move us along.  She tried to snatch my friend's credit card away before I could even pay my portion.  While I understand that they needed to turn over the table, after dropping a significant amount of cash for a casual Tuesday night dinner she could have been a little more patient. 

Wagamama

I am currently on a little break from the African diet since I traveled home to the States earlier this week to celebrate Thanksgiving and stuff myself with all the delicious foods that are not readily available in Kenya.  On Monday I flew through London's Heathrow airport where I had a layover from about 5am UK time onward.  Great.  After a 10 hour flight everyone wants to sit in an airport for 5 hours early in the morning.

Once through security, a surprisingly simple feat (clearly the Olympics taught them how to move people through quickly), I made my way through Terminal 5 and began eyeballing some coffee shops to camp out.  I contemplated hitting up a holiday latte from Starbucks but after seeing the line I decided a cafe sounded more my speed.  I wandered back upstairs and saw a Wagamama overlooking the tarmac where I grabbed a booth and settled in with my Kindle. 

As it was still insanely early they were only serving breakfast items; I don't know if this is specific to their airport menu or if they serve breakfast at all their locations but I was slightly disappointed I would not get to try some of their Asian cuisine.  While I would normally love to be adventurous and order some Japanese style pancakes I decided to be kind to my still fragile stomach and have a traditional egg and toast breakfast.  Furthermore, I became irrationally excited when asked what type of water I wanted: still, sparkling, or tap.  The thought of safely drinking tap water hadn't crossed my mind in months.  It's the little things....

An hour to two later, filled with a latte, cappuccino, 2 fried eggs over easy, and several pieces of multigrain toast I headed to my gate (via all the wonderful duty free shops, of course).  All in all, the food, while simple, was tasty and the service was excellent, no one tried to push me out while I read and sipped my coffee.  While I ended up spending about 10£ for this simple meal, having a place to kick back and relax before boarding another 9 hour flight made it totally worth it.  It was a pleasant experience in what can be a hectic, stressful environment. 

Ali Baba Restaurant

While traveling to Chad for work, Ali Baba was recommended to me by a friend of a friend as a good place to check out in N'Djamena.  My work colleagues and I went there for lunch our first day in th country.  As we were a bit peckish (read: starving to death) after traveling since 4:45 in the morning before arriving to sweltering heat, immigration police, and meetings with implementing partners, I feel like by the time we finally headed to lunch 12 hours later we were less concerned with quality and more concerned with quickly.  However, in my opinion, neither were lacking.  As a large-ish group of nine arriving about 1 hour before they closed for the afternoon (15:30) they were quick with the drinks and friendly with the service.  As a group of Americans and Kenyans with French skills ranging from none to rusty it was nice that the menu was offered in both French and English. 

I shared moutabel (~3500 CFA), an aubergine dip, and houmus (~3500 CFA), with a side of beef shawarma (~4000 CFA).  With a "large" Castel beer (~2000 CFA) my portion of the bill was a hefty ~8500 CFA (about 16 USD at today's exchange rate); while pricy I left with take away box stuffed full of beef, dips, and pitas enough for leftovers for dinner and brunch. 

The beef shawarma was a pleasant surprise; I was expecting about six baby pitas stuffed full of meat, however a heaping plate of beef appeared and was surprisingly delicious.  I also loved the moutabel.  One of my colleagues commented that she thought the houmus was better than that at Cedars in Nairobi.  Others ordered a variety of falafels and rice and meat dishes and left stuffed.  A variety of condiments were availed; I particularly liked the Moutarde Forte that, as my colleague put it, "isn't hot but has a kick" while another group member's lips burned after sampling. 

All in all, I would call lunch a success but think the price is a bit prohibitive for large group lunches.