When I visited on a Friday evening, Caiman was a blend of a friends’ corner, a lovers’ next, corporate area, business spot and family zone. On a Sunday evening when I returned, it had turned into a live band zone, with a local band mounted by the bar, belting out old rumba and soukouss. The band plays every Sunday evenings. Caiman comes in the form of a large, imposing circular stone structure with massive pillars that houses the sole bar and main service point, and a few spaced dinner-style tables. Rustic in appearance, and with a tropical African feel to it, this piece of architecture faces directly to Caiman’s real attraction –the tree-dotted lawns. Theirs is almost football pitch-size lawn, well planted with trees and well manicured. It could be the ultimate sun bathers’ haven. A good number of parents drive their kids here simply so they can run around without the risk of violating other people’s space. With the kind of space they have at their disposal, smokers do not have to go through the humiliating ordeal of having to watch their back before lighting up. Caiman is basically a local barbecue with an East African flavor. Their main trade is grilled fish and goat, done in the Kenyan nyama choma style. A platter of goat is priced at Rwf 8.000, although there is the option of the goat brochette at Rwf 1.000. And what’s more, on a good day, they will give you a peanut bowl sprinkled with crisps to accompany your beer. The parking is off street, although with a guard, and one will have to endure a short walk up the fairly steep climb from the parking lot.
