Nyarutarama is home to the well-to-do, so it should come as no surprise that it has its fair share of fine dining joints. When talking of eating places, the name Sakae will pop up somewhere along the way. The signpost by the entrance reads Sakae Japanese Restaurant, which is really true, although only partially. On flipping through the extensive menu, it eventually dawns on you that this is actually an Asian Fusion restaurant, perhaps only with more Japanese on the menu. One thing that is typically Korean about Sakae is the fact that they have chosen to go in for metallic as opposed to wooden chopsticks on all dining tables. Sakae is one big dining arena set in a huge and spacious grass-thatched dome that sits like a plateau over elevated ground. Hiking the stairs into the structure and standing at the entrance, one sees a neat expanse of well-laid tables that can seat about sixty diners. At the furthest end of the structure is the elaborate sushi counter, from where a wide array of sea foods are displayed in neat glass counters. But this counter is of little use to the person that can’t entertain the thought of swallowing down morsels of raw sea creatures. To the opposite side of the facility is a small opening that leads to a small outdoor terrace and a fireplace. It is obvious that the main draw to Sakae is the famed oriental delight, sushi. They have the sahimi and sushi set that goes for Rwf 15, 000, and the Sakae sushi set (8 pieces of sushi and two pieces of special roll, at Rwf 11,500. The Salmon sushi set, tuna and salmon sushi set, and vegetable sushi set are all at the Rwf 9,500-12,000 mark. For starters and side dishes, one can choose from prawns tempura, tofu pancake, deep fried prawns, and chicken wings. But what is an Oriental food experience minus live cooking? What they have here is the famed Japanese Tepanyaki live cooking that features a sea food set – fish fillet, squid, prawns, salmon, tempura, sushi, fruit, fried rice and soup, mixed vegetable fry, and salad. The Korean specials are led by a recipe called Buchingae, a Korean pan cake that comes stuffed with squid and vegetables, then the Bibimpap – rice mixed with vegetable, beef, and chili sauce, and served in a sizzling stone ball.
