28 April 2013

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 49R. My friend commented that we only spent USD3 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? 

27 April 2013

Meze Fresh Gourmet Burrito Bar

With only a few hours to kill in Kigali after a two 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). There's a wide selection to choose from including chicken, beef, pork, or vegetarian burritos, burrito bowls, and salads and prices are reasonable at 2,800-4000 RWF for burritos and 1000 RWF for a beer.