As part of my World Food Tour series, Jomar and I went to Simba's Grill Vancouver. They are an African Restaurant according to Foursquare.
It's our first time to try African cuisine. Let's see how it went.
African Restaurant Category
There are 7 restaurants categorized in Foursquare as 'African Restaurant' and I searched the description for usually the top 3 and decide from there.
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| Foursquare City Guide's African Restaurant in Vancouver |
I would prefer to go to the first suggestion BUT in this case Jambo grill is a fusion of four countries, Iran, India, Africa and Canada which is why I decided to go to Simba's Grill. They described the cuisine as 'East African Fusion Cuisine'. That's good enough for my food tour since they're combining favorites from East Africa.
We arrived at West End at around 6:30pm and we didn't know that there's an abundance of restaurant along Denman Street. There are even line up to a Ramen place nearby.
It's easy to spot Simba's Grill because it has a yellow awning in front with its name printed. We entered and requested a table for two and we were seated by the entrance with a view of the street and with our backs against the other guest. I really liked it because this way I won't be conscious since we tend to order too much and get judgmental and amusing looks from people.
We received our menu and I asked for a glass of water because we were really thirsty, they gave it right away. Service was excellent! The chef and owner went to our table to ask if we have any questions. I told him that it's our first time and we weren't sure what to get. He asked if we prefer barbecue or curry. I said Jomar prefers barbecue and I love curry. He gave his recommendation but told us that we could take as long as we need to decide. Such a nice guy!
Appetizer
For appetizer, we ordered
Muhogo. It's deep fried casava root. In Tagalog, we call this
kamoteng kahoy.
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| Muhogo. Deep fried casava root. |
The server asked us if we want it plain or spicy. Of course, spicy. She placed a small container of mango spicy sauce and oh boy was it really spicy. I wished the Muhogo was crunchier but it's still excellent.
Main Course
I ordered Naan and Kuku (chicken) Muchuzi while Jomar ordered the Beef Mishkaki. Serving is good for sharing and we even had leftovers to go.
Naan was great. I wished I ordered more. The Muchuzi is tasty with tender chicken breast. Comparing it to the Afghan cuisine, this has stronger flavor.
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| Kuku Muchuzi. A traditional curry cooked the East African way using Simba's special spices. |
Meanwhile, the Mishkaki melts in your mouth with how tender it is. In the Afghan kebab, you can still taste the spices they use (pepper, salt, etc.). On the other hand, in the Mishkaki you can really taste the marinade they used on every bite and it's really obvious that it was marinated for so long with how juicy it was.
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| Beef Mishkaki. Beef cubes marinated in special spices barbecued served with rice. |
Dessert
Another regret... we should have ordered 2 Raas Malai instead of sharing 1 because it was so good! Now, I am curious what the Lemu Cheesecake tastes like. Really happy with the dessert.
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| Raas Malai. Baked Ricotta Cheese soaked in cream topped with pistachio and almonds. |
I am food coma! :) Looking forward to the next country we visit while staying in Vancouver.
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