Steakhouses have become a recent trend in Rwanda’s hospitality industry.

The Hut, one of the latest entrants to the scene, is raising the steaks quite literally. It is located in Kimihurura behind the Kigali Convention Centre. It was built as a boutique hotel with a pool and restaurant.

A lot of thought seems to have gone into the interior design and ambience of the restaurant. It is housed under a large hut with creative use of kitenge fabric for the décor; from the table mats, menu to the curtains.

The restaurant also overlooks Mount Rebero, a mountain that played a strategic role in the liberation of Rwanda. Some politicians who were killed by the genocidal regime have been buried at Mount Rebero.

At The Hut, the meat on the grill seemed to welcome me as I entered the restaurant.

The attendants accorded me a gracious welcome. They were keen to explain their various offerings. After assessing the menu, I settled for a Tandoori Chicken Burger. The options of meat come with curry of you choosing.

My food was served after a short while. The Tandoori Chicken Burger is made of chargrilled tandoori spiced chicken breast, stacked with lettuce, tomatoes, warm spiced ginger, mango relish, fried onions and mint yoghurt sauce.

It is served with sides of carbohydrates of your choosing like chips, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, grilled green plantains, steamed white rice, stir fried rice, naan, stir fried noodles, potato harra or couscous.

Meat dishes also come with veggies; you can choose from butter sautéed vegetables, oven roasted vegetables, firecracker green beans and mushrooms, roasted nutty stuffed eggplant with buttermilk dressing, sautéed dodo (local spinach) or Chinese stir fried vegetables.

I opted for the naan and roasted nutty stuffed eggplant with buttermilk dressing and butter sautéed vegetables with peanut sauce.

The sesame crusted buns were large, and tasted like they were fresh out of the oven. The naan was a good accompaniment for the peanut sauce, which was served in rather small portions.

The vegetables tasted like they were prepared fresh off the farm. The executive chef outdid himself with the diverse offerings of meat on their menu — chicken, pork, goat lamb and beef.

The restaurant also offers soups, pasta, pizza, salads, hot appetisers and desserts.

However, the Wi-Fi was slow and the computer geek in me could hardly get anything done while I was there.

Food prices range from Rwf6000 ($9.50) to Rwf38,000 ($45) clearly targeting higher-end clientele. The restaurant can accommodate about 100 people, and has parking space for about 20 cars.

Use of the swimming pool is Rwf4,000 ($4.8) for adults and Rwf2,000($2.4) for children. There is mid-week (10am to 4pm) deal for Rwf5,000 ($6) that includes pool access, a glass of wine or beer, and a pizza.