BCK occupies prominent and big bright space in the heart of downtown Kigali, in that you will be perfectly excused if you mistook it for a children’s recreational park.

That aside, the name is actually quite a mouthful – BCK Bistro, Coffee and Food, the BCK being French for Boulangerie Chauterie de Kigali.

They are located right next to the Nyarugenge sector offices, near Ecole Belge de Kigali, and coupled with the carnival-like bright décor, are impossible to miss. It is one of those places you will just stumble upon while running an errand in this part of town –for a Coke, a quick bite, or lunch meeting.

I was looking for something hot and light over a Coke, being a hot Monday afternoon.

Walking in though, the first impression you will get is that of a pastry and bakery, what with the various cakes, breads and confectioneries in the bright display counters. Peeping through, what stares back at you are a whole tribe of breads –brown, salted, round bread, baguettes, milk bread, sweet bread, and the burger band, which comes in handy for your home-made burger. The breads range in price from Rwf 500, rising to the Rwf 2,000 mark for the brown bread, while the pizza, at Rwf 5,00 is a bonus.

They are big on cake too, serving it in different flavors –vanilla, banana, and lemon, but that’s not all, as they also make ceremonial cakes on order, so a small birthday treat for the young ones here is not a bad idea.

The buffet table had been virtually cleared when we checked in, but we gladly settled for the à la carte option. There was fish on the menu, and knowing how tough it is to find fish in Kigali, we went in for the fish fingers without hesitation. Twenty or so minutes later, our orders arrived, with rice, chips, salad, and lemon accompanying the fish.

Sadly, the presentation was rather drab, with the lemon looking like something that had been violently hacked rather than cut.

Also, the five fish fingers I had to deal with came across as rather spongy and sparse, so we took solace in the chilled fruit cocktail that goes for Rwf 1,500, and the salad.