African cuisine is as diverse as the many cultures that exist on the continent, and the cuisine reflects this opulent multiplicity with a full-bodied flavour like no other. Known for its delectable Moorish taste, rich textures and surprisingly healthy fruit and vegetable bases, African food is a never-ending wonder. Our hunt for a variety of these essences led us to Savanna BBQ, a restaurant tucked away in a line of others at the Waterfront in Shatti Al Qurum. This place serves up a choice of African fusion food, grills, and delectable salads. Between us, we ordered 2 appetisers, 2 mains and a dessert to finish a wonderful night.
He said: Mix Samboosa (Shuwa & veggie) served with green coconut chutney, a very well-prepared starter, don’t miss the chutney as it takes those Samboosas to another level of awesomeness.
She said: While the Samboosa was as perfect as it gets, we needed something light to balance the heaviness of it. The steak salad - a light, refreshing, and tangy salad that contains perfectly grilled succulent pieces of meat with sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese on a bed of crisp, sprightly veggies. The dressing rounded this salad perfectly making it a treat for all senses.
He said: The Peri-Peri prawns - The creamy coconut rice served with the prawns was the star of the dish as it was cooked to perfection while the peri-peri shrimp lacked flavour. I think there is room for the prawns to be better. The BBQ chicken was soft and juicy though it was burnt from the outside, the Mahrage and Chappati were delightful.
She said: While the coconut rice was to die for, I picked the Mahrage with 1/2 BBQ chicken and Chappati and while my choice was wonderful, my chicken was burnt – when I asked them to replace it, they scraped the burnt bits off. The flavours however were on point. A summery marinade of lemon and herbs, the chicken was soft and appetizing. The Mahrage (kidney beans) were cooked in a tomato-onion base that was extraordinary. All this served with soft Chappattis.
He said: The hot date pudding was a balanced dessert, neither too sweet nor too dense.
She said: The hot date pudding was an excellent choice. This warm, buttery, and soft pudding were everything it should be. It certainly felt like a hot date! Kudos to the team for creating perfection – at least for me.
We said: Service was standard, staff was friendly. We were rather disappointed with the chicken scraping stunt but overall, we had a nice experience. There is an abundance of places that do great African food at a fraction of the cost. Would we go back? Maybe for the samboosa and the coconut rice!
Ambience: 4/5
Taste of food: 3.5/5
Presentation: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Value for money: 3/5
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