Oriental cuisine almost always refers to Asian cooking from the Far East, with Thai and Vietnamese being the two that are most well known. I initially thought it was exclusively Chinese food.

In a bid to remedy my ignorance on the subject and particularly to understand what exactly falls under “Oriental cuisine”, I embarked on a culinary journey to the nearest Oriental restaurant I could find. My quest led me to DMall Hotel’s restaurant.

DMall Hotel is situated in the Gishushu-Nyarutama area in Kigali. The hotel’s exterior is a combination of Chinese ancient charm with a modern aesthetic sense. The interior has chocolate brown, white and red-themed décor, with some Chinese sparkle.

The restaurant’s hospitality didn’t leave a lasting impression on me. The attendants seemed to have not been expecting any customers and were hesitant to attend to me. It took some time before they came around to take our orders.

We settled at the outdoor sunning bar, with a balcony that had a breath-taking view of Rwanda’s majestic Thousand Hills.

I eventually settled for the chicken with cashew nuts, served with steamed white rice.

The order took about 20 minutes to get to the table. The chicken was lean and tender and rather bland. The cashew nuts it was served with added some flavour to the chicken. The steamed rice was up to par, not too husky or too dense.

DMall Restaurant has a variety of offerings including seafood, beef, poultry, pork, mutton, various starches and starters. Their special cuisines include chicken feet, pig ears, black fungus, cold fern, ox-hoofs, ox tripe and sea cucumbers.

Prices ranging from Rwf4,000 ($5) to Rwf38,000 ($44) for a meal.

The main dishes are served with sides of noodles, rice and chips. Vegetable options include tofu, mushrooms, potato and cabbage. You can also order salads and snacks if you’re not really looking to have a full meal.

DMall also has a “sunning bar” where you can while away the evening as you watch the sun go down. The bar has a wide choice of beverages, soft drinks, local and imported beers, ciders, house wines, champagne, aperitifs, brandy, gins, vodkas, premium and deluxe whiskeys, and the restaurant’s signature Chinese liquor.

It has an ample parking space that can accommodate quite a number of cars. The establishment is an international standard four-star hotel, fully-equipped with accommodation, catering, a business centre, gym and casino. It also has a supermarket supplying fresh food and household products.