The "new normal" has seen me needing more out of life and consequently out of food. Before the lockdown, being outdoors was something I took for granted. Now, whenever the opportunity arises I just can't wait to get out of the house.

When I eat out, I now really savour the food and try to understand the different flavours and the ingredients that go into making the meal. This new outlook has had me visiting all the little restaurants that I had often skipped. One that was number one on my list was Borneo Indonesian Restaurant.

The restaurant opened its doors in Kigali about three years ago. Its owners are Fetty Fatimah and Sanjeev Kumar. The couple started it as a small operation in an area of town called Kinamba. However, it struggled to get customers as it was crammed in an area filled with numerous other hotels and restaurants that were not really in line with what they were trying to build.

Their fortunes changed when they moved to the upscale neighbourhood of Kimihurura, Kigali’s gourmet capital where gourmands frequent with reckless abandon.

Borneo Indonesian Restaurant is located along KG 4 Avenue, above Lavana Restaurant and Elim Apartments. It is the first and only authentic Indonesian restaurant in Kigali.

I got to the restaurant at around 4pm for an early dinner to catch up with my cousin. While I waited for him I got to have a good look at the restaurant’s interior, service and overall ambience.

The restaurant’s interior design is reminiscent of the infamous The Dream Café in Seinfeld’s third season. Its design is typical of the 2000’s, with a combination of modern and Asianesque style. The flooring is white tiles, the walls are painted in yellow and feature various wall art and posters. The tables and chairs are all made of dark wood stained finish with sisal tablemats and decor. The furniture layout is designed to support the restaurant's serving system, a la carte with waiters coming to visitors' tables.

Mie Goreng Ayam served at Borneo Restaurant. PHOTO | JEFFERSON RUMANYIKA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

As soon as my cousin arrived, we placed our orders as I already knew what I wanted. I settled for a beef rendang that was served with steamed rice while my cousin decided to get the Mee Goreng Ayam.

The beef rendang is one of Indonesia’s national foods made of slow-cooked tender beef and braised in coconut milk and a paste of mixed ground spices including chilli, ginger, galangal, turmeric, lemongrass, garlic and shallots. The Mie Goreng Ayam is an Indonesian spicy fried noodles dish made of thin yellow noodles stir fried in cooking oil with garlic, shallots, leek, sweet soy sauce, fried chicken, chili, cabbage, tomatoes and egg.

The beef rendang was absolutely divine. It had a spicy, nutty, sweet and savoury taste. The beef was tender and the curry was thick and went well with the steamed rice. The portions were generous and I could barely finish it. This Indonesian dish was once chosen as one of the World’s 50 most delicious food by CNN viewers.

The restaurant’s Mie Goreng Ayam was quite good too. It could not hold a candle to the rendang but it was equally as delicious. It was adequately seasoned, the application of sweet soy sauce adding a mild sweetness to the dish.

Borneo Indonesian Restaurant has excellent service and the owner made sure to come check that we were enjoying our meals. The attendants seemed to have an understanding of the menu and the overall ambiance of the restaurant was inviting.