Nairobi was good to me, thank you Nairobi. But I wasn’t there long enough to find the legit local food places. I missed Ugandan food dreadfully, which made me wonder, you travel to see new places but when you get there, you want home. Isn’t that a paradox?
That’s probably why I gravitated to Joanna’s Kitchen, JK’s, located at Kilimani Souk Mall, Chania Avenue. It had that je ne sais quoi of a mid scale Ugandan bar and restaurant. Someone that I told about it (who had never been there) told me that someone had also told him that it felt Ugandan. Go there for a drink as I did.
But this is about food.
Dau Swahili restaurant was referred to me when I said I wanted some light food, but food food, but affordable bordering on cheap because Nairobi is pricey. I fell in love with Dau and it was my goal to sample their entire menu, but, alas, time said no.
The first time I went to Dau I got lost right there at the entrance. After circles and asking the guys at the washing bay across from the road, I finally arrived. Half the people there didn’t really speak English and I don’t speak Swahili, yet this didn’t stop them from showing me that hospitality the coast is famous for.
Shawarma
Dau’s Shawarma is more chicken heavy than the one we serve in UG. While ours prefer chunks and raw vegetables (which I love) theirs leans towards shredded everything. For a small package it was quite filling and I enjoyed it.
The second time I had the Shawarma there was another chef. I wanted some chilli, and he warned that the mayo would cool the spice down so he would have to increase the level from mild to medium. I liked that bit of information.
On this occasion I ate one half and kept the other half for later. It was a dense, filling meal but later turned out to be only one hour after.
Cassava chips
These are made on site. I watched the thin slices go into the oil and come out looking like large flower petals. As a fried cassava lover, these chips had fascinated me and after asking about them…the staff gave me a little plate to try for free. Swahili hospitality.
I thought they were too crispy-I’m used to my cassava being as soft as possible-but like all things crispy, I ate and finished them and i think you will too.
Chips! Or French fries depending on where you are in the world.
Guys, for years I have been saying that good chips are getting harder and harder to find. Either the chips are too hard, too dry, or they are tasteless and seasoning has to compensate, or they aren’t ready, or they half cook them in an attempt to make a faster fry when ordered (these are the worst kind). For that reason, Dau’s were simply perfection. Cooked all the way through, not drunk on oil, not falling apart. I ate every single one of them.
Sausages
Same story as the chips. So hard to find good ones, at least here in UG. Like the Shawarma, I ordered them more than once.
Biriyani
Of course I had to try the biriyani. When I saw the pack of multi coloured rice I thought ‘this is too much rice’ but as was the case with the Shawarma, I was back at it not long after. I have eaten coastal biriyani before and it was served with a hard boiled egg and a banana. This one came with a banana too but luckily no egg.
The Indian Biriyani I have eaten more of tends to have a hotter and tangier flavour profile, this one leaned more towards mild and slightly sweeter notes. The Indian also tends to be fattier. The internet indicated to me that this is because of heavier fats like ghee rather than coconut milk and oil that feature in Coastal cooking. Neither is better than the other.
The chicken was presented as one single large piece and I enjoyed it and licked my fingers.
There was a little fresh salad on the side to complete the ensemble.
Do give Dau a go, at their premises and as takeaway. They are worth it. Thank you Prisca for the rec.