There aren’t many people who have the ability to totally kill my love of pizza but, ladies and gentlemen, the chefs at Papyrus found a way to do just that.

Papyrus Lounge, situated on one of Kimihurura’s cobble roads, is supposedly one of the premier bars and restaurants in Kigali and having heard nothing but good things about it, along with two friends, I decided to pay the establishment a visit.

The décor and ambience at the bar/restaurant is of the highest qaulity. Art with an African influence, soft funk wafting from invisible speakers, comfortable seats and candles shedding a warm light on the patio gave the place an intimate feel. I was impressed.

To say that the service left a lot to be desired is an understatement. After getting the menu it took my personal intervention to get a waiter to take our order. I had to get up and walk about searching for an elusive waiter after we waited thirty minutes without ordering.

Luckily it seemed that the proprietor heard me complain about the atrocious service and quickly got a waiter to our table. She offered drinks on the house for our pains.
We ordered a ham pizza, lasagna and French fries. What can I say about the food?

The lasagna, which cost Frw4,000, was well prepared. The French fries were okay; for Frw800 I didn’t expect anything earthshaking. However, the ham pizza was a real disappointment.

Priced at Frw4,500 I expected real quality. The crust was still a tab bit doughy, the ham topping was sparse and the cheese was actually smelly. Unlike the cheese I’m used to, the chefs used a type called Montasio.

It was so bad that we had to mask the taste with chili sauce. My advice, go to Papyrus for a drink or two but grab a bite elsewhere.

Ends