African-themed culinary cuisine at Amaica

Tucked behind Spinner’s Web off Peponi Road is the Westlands outpost of Amaica, a popular Milimani restaurant, serving authentic Kenyan cuisine where guests can enjoy al fresco dining on the spacious deck overlooking Karura forest.

Amaica, in the Luhya language, refers to the traditional African cooking stove. Originally serving Luhya dishes, the first Amaica soon expanded its menu to include regional cuisines representing the diverse tribes of Kenya.

It is one of the only places promoting Kenyan cuisine and culture, while its setting and service level make it approachable for locals and visitors alike.

Guests are welcomed at the gate by guards cloaked in traditional tribal warrior uniforms. Rosemary sprigs in a small calabash provide a lovely and fitting centerpiece on the tables.

With beauty in their simplicity, the leaves are scattered on the table by servers to repel flying insects.

Fresh orange juice is hand squeezed in-house, without the all-too-common addition of water or sugar.

Servers are well-trained and professional, providing succinct and helpful descriptions, without being didactic or intrusive.

BROWN UGALI

The food is prepared using time-honoured techniques. Salt made from the ashes of banana leaves acts as a tenderizer and flavour enhancer, packed with calcium, magnesium, and potassium and without the sodium associated with sea salt.

Beef filet is smoked for seven days, suspended over the grill, a tradition used to preserve meat in this popular Western Kenya dish.

A highlight of the Journey through Kenya set menu, the beef is exceptionally tender and flavourful, served with brown millet ugali and pumpkin leaves.

For vegetarians, each course is modified to replace meats with carefully considered alternatives, like wild mushrooms stewed in peanut sauce or cowpea curry with Swahili spices and coconut milk.

Myriad menu options abound which will satisfy vegetarians and meat-eaters alike, both in the a la carte and set menus.

The tasting menu begins with seasonally-available, protein-packed tsiswa… flying ants served as a pre-dinner finger food.

Fresh tsiswa are brought in from various areas and ours still had their wings intact. Not entirely surprisingly, this is one of the menu items most requested by foreigners.

Perhaps the recent UN report on the health benefits of eating insects has begun to fuel a trend. The tsiswa can be prepared on request with chilli and lemon, a modification suggested by a guest – not quite traditional, but highly recommended nonetheless.

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