Located in the heart of Butare town, opposite the Bank of Kigali, Amafu top restaurant is a careful blend of everything good about Rwanda.

The warm decor with African designs, authentic cuisine and friendly hospitality conspire to give you a memorable experience.

The restaurant specialises in grilled meat but also offers a mix of African and European dishes. Its buffet, served from Monday to Saturday is mouth watering.

My recommendation: You should try out Steak with Creamy Mushrooms. The tender pieces of beef are cooked in a delicious creamy source and evenly sliced fresh mushrooms.

On this particular day it was served with rice. It can also be eaten with French fries or sautéed potatoes. Open Monday to Saturday – 8.30AM – 22.00PM. Sunday- 12.30PM- 23.00PM.

Kibuye: A home away from home

BY LILLIAN NAKAYIMA

When Kigali gets hectic, the best option is changing the environment for some time. Why not a weekend in Kibuye?

Located in the Western Province of Rwanda, Kibuye is a 3 hour drive from Kigali. It’s a small town, with few people. What’s unique about it is Lake Kivu.

The tranquility of Kibuye coupled with the beautiful scenery of Lake Kivu makes it perfect for picnics, beach parties, camping and honeymoon's.

The weather favours swimming. The various hills dotting the Lake are breathtaking while relaxing at the same time.

Kibuye has great hotels by the Lake side. Lodging therefore will not be a problem if booked on time. The sound of the waves splashing along the lake shores has a therapeutic effect.

Adventuring to the famous ‘Peace Island’ is another great option. It’s an island in the middle of Lake Kivu. It’s a great camping spot with a volleyball court as well. Surrounded by shrubs, it has two cottages though tents are available for camping.

‘Napoleon Island’ is another must visit site. As the name suggests, it probably got its name from Napoleon Bonaparte who once ruled France. At this island, expect to view various bird and bat species. It’s a 30 minute boat ride.

The hotel costs are between Rwf 45,000 -12000 a night with breakfast.

The delicacy most served in Kibuye is silver fish (locally known as sambaza) prepared in various ways and served with either potato fries or rice. Both Buffet and snacks are served in the hotels. The climate is ok though cold at night.

Dinning at City Valley

BY LINDA MBABAZI

Most restaurants in Kigali open only at lunch hours and for a limited time. Later they will open once again to offer dinner, again for a limited time.

At City Valley, this seems not to be the case. The joint is open and busy 24hours!

I came to this realisation on my recent visit to this famed restaurant. At just 10a.m the place was so busy. It seemed like there was a party taking place there.

According to Julienne Nyirankundo, the place is always at full throttle but moreso over the weekends. 

The menu is by any standards gargantuan and in my view very difficult to exhaust. For starters, I highly recommend the boil sizzler that comprises a variety of meat served on a sizzling hot plate.

My pick was chicken. Surprisingly, I was told that it wasn’t fried, though it constituted a more yummy taste! This was accompanied with mangled bananas, a delicacy usually commonly prepared in Uganda though rapidly picking up in Rwanda.

Generally, I was not disappointed at all and I am looking forward to exploring the vast menu on hand during the course of the day.

Glancing at City Valley’s menu, noticeably absent is pork. Hmm! I guess this was in consideration of our Muslim brothers and sisters.

How to prepare Agatogo at City Valley:

Nyirankundo says that they prepare both boiled and fried meals. For Agatogo, they peel 10kilograms of bananas. Chop tomatoes, onions, green peepers, salt, and then mix them with the bananas.

Cook for at least 1 and half hours and then pour into 2 kilograms of already prepared meat. Boil this for over 30minutes and it’s ready for serving.

Umunyige (mangled bananas):

They set banana stems into a saucepan with little water. Peel at least 20 kilograms of bananas into a saucepan, and then set it on a clay stove.

Cook for about 2hours, then remove it off from the stove and start mingling it until its form changes completely, then minimize the heat and serve it while on.

Beef: They slice 30kilograms of beef, then add tomatoes, onions, green peepers, and other ingredients, and then place the saucepan on q clay stove until it gets ready for consumption. 

Goat meat: Two goats are prepared in each saucepan. They do not deep-fry, though they add ingredients to improve the flavour and colour. 

Fish: Fish is so delicate as compared to other meats and thus the need to avoid overcooking. They get 10kgs of fish, add a minimum of 5litres of water, the ingredients and then boil it.

Ingredients: Tomatoes, onions, green peepers, salt, chilli, and other ingredients.

Food: African dishes

Menu: Standard

Price range: From 150francs on wards.

Recommended dishes: Bananas both mangled and mix, rice, cassava, Irish and sweet potatoes, pumpkins, yams, posho, and much more. 

Location: About 500meters away from Nyabugogo Main Bus Park.

Ends