Advertisement

CocoBean: Ideal by day or night

Friday November 24 2017
coco1

Vegetable lasagna served at CocoBean restaurant in Kigali. PHOTO | JEFFERSON RUMANYIKA | NMG

By JEFFERSON RUMANYIKA

Kigali restaurateurs are creating one-stop shops for meals and a nightlife experience.

One of the latest entrants on the scene is CocoBean restaurant, located behind the Dutch embassy in Kacyiru.

CocoBean offers the full entertainment experience with its spa, swimming pool, restaurant and nightclub. The restaurant is located on the first floor of a double-storey building, with the swimming pool, spa and the nightclub on the ground floor.

The proprietors seem to have put some thought into the interior décor. The restaurant has paintings of animals, and landscapes of Kigali and indigenous people adorning the walls. The chair covers and table runners have Aztec patterns.

The restaurant overlooks the central business district so you can spot the Kigali City Tower on the horizon. Disco music from the 80s plays in the background.

The restaurant’s hospitality wasn’t impressive. The waiters seemed to have not been expecting any customers and were slow to attend to me. However, they made up for it by being gracious as I thumbed through the menu.

Advertisement
coco2

CocoBean Restaurant in Kigali. PHOTO | JEFFERSON RUMANYIKA | NMG

I settled for a vegetable lasagna, which was a first for me. The order took nearly half an hour to arrive. The lasagna was almost the size of a medium-sized pizza.

The vegetable lasagna is made up of several pasta sheets alternated with cucumber, onions, tomatoes and cheese. The crust was too hard for my liking and the cheese didn’t blend well with the vegetables. A reminder to myself that I prefer meat lasagna.

CocoBean serves African, contemporary American and Italian dishes. Their entrée options include potato salads, mixed vegetable salads, stuffed avocados, pepper and beetroot salad, Greek salad and stuffed pancake with tuna crumbs.

The African dishes include Moroccan couscous, Cameroonian chicken, jollof rice and okra sauce.

The main courses are grouped according to the types of meat: Beef carpaccios and steak sauce; chicken yassa, minced chicken, chicken Morocco style; Nile perch with spinach, Nile perch in papillote, tilapia fillet with vegetables, all served with side dishes of rice, chips, fried vegetables, steamed potatoes, mashed potatoes or grilled/ boiled bananas.

American dishes include a variety of burgers.

The dessert options include reversed caramel sauce, non-alcoholic tiramisu, fruit salad and Genoese English sauce.

For the ultimate nightlife experience, CocoBean has an executive bar with a wide choice of soft drinks, fresh juices, local and imported beers, ciders, wines, sparkling champagne, aperitifs, gins, vodkas, premium and deluxe whiskys and specialty cocktails.

An upscale restaurant by day, lively hotspot by night, CocoBean is a lifestyle and social hub and the perfect place if you want to swim, enjoy a great meal or have a night out.

Advertisement