A sophisticated street food affair

The outdoor terrace of the restaurant at Park Hyatt Zanzibar overlooks the most magnificent of views with locals playing football on the sand and brightly coloured dhows and ngawalas bobbing up and down the bluest of seas. It is a pity then that because it was really hot and humid at around 2pm, I had to seek refuge in the air conditioned indoors.

The ambiance inside is great, yes, but in that moment I would have much rather looked out onto a turquoise water than gazed at the perfect shiny teardrop chandelier.

My only consolation was that outside, I had spotted those annoying Indian crows that you always find at the East African coast, and while they might look magical fluttering across your periphery as you eat, they will never hesitate to swoop down and make off with a morsel of food from your plate. I’m pretty sure there’s a life lesson about friends and relations in there somewhere.

I ordered a lightly pan seared kingfish which came with rocket leaves and chips on the side while my friend had a Jamaican roast chicken that I regret not tasting.

Given the array of spices available on the island, I had dreaded that every other dish on the menu would be packed with spices to give diners ‘a true taste of Zanzibar’.

Thank goodness the fish was simply done with only a light dressing to elevate it. Before I could try the fish, however, it was suggested that I start with a classic Zanzibar mix, to give me a true taste of Zanzibar.

The urojo was a soup which came in a large bowl with mshikaki dipped inside, and around it in smaller individual bowls were condiments like boiled eggs, kachumbari, chilli, bhajia, falafel, crackers, vegetables, avocado and coconut chutney.

It is actually a street food. To be fair, not all these condiments look like they would work well together, especially not if you see one being served in an actual street stand where they add their own ingredients. It’s a bit like those perplexing pictures of mashakura that sometimes pop up on your Facebook timeline where everything is thrown together so haphazardly and the only reaction you can master is ‘why?’ Or when a food bar lets you make an unwrapped burrito bowl and you go a little crazy by checking all the boxes because you forgot what you learnt from 8-4-4.

Urojo is a delicious comfort food that I find myself missing, especially as it would be so perfect with this current cold in Nairobi. All the condiments selected on the hotel’s menu complimented each other to make a flavour-packed and hearty dish that I still insist should not be in the starter section of the menu. I could barely enjoy my kingfish afterwards! The portion was also big even though it came with two serving bowls and had it been cool enough to sit outside, let’s just say there would have been a little something left for the birds.