A little bit of Asia in Kigali

ZEN IS NESTED in the middle of the plush Nyarutarama residential hub, just past the MTN Centre. For that reason, it has maintained an inconspicuous air about it, but for the signpost at the entrance.From the main entrance looking in, the first thing that meets your eye is the sprawling, tiled compound and beyond, the main building towers gently. However this main building only houses the offices and living quarters of Zen’s large army of expatriate kitchen staff.At the back of this building is what I will call Zen proper, for it is here that the dining area and bar are located, both under huge, dome-shaped grass enclaves.Zen has cut out its niche as the local market leader in Oriental cuisine. Not only do they do a fusion of Thai, Chinese and Japanese, they were the first Kigali eatery to introduce Dip Sum, a fancy traditional Cantonese dish that serves with a variety of small delicious steamed or fried buns, dumplings or rice rolls. This comes with a range of fillings of one’s choice –beef, chicken, prawns, or vegetable portions.Zen has cultivated such an extensive menu, it is almost foolhardy to delve into their menu booklets, especially if you are a novice at Oriental food. What’s more, the food comes in small portions, a move meant to ensure that you try out as many options as possible.We went in for the fusion, that is, a taste of Thai, Chinese and Japanese cuisine.For starters we did the crispy duck rolls at Rwf5,900, but to our delight, the main course arrived shortly after, so we just carried on. We had Dip Sum, steamed beef shumai, and crunchy prawn rolls. The chicken came sizzling hot, in stylish little bamboo baskets from Philippines.The menu at Zen is a la carte, although for lunch it is a three course soup-starter-main course affair, at Rwf6,000 starters hover around the Rwf4,000-6000 mark, while the soups will set you back anything from Rwf3,500 to Rwf6,000. For the soups, I recommend the Tom Yum from Thailand, which is mushroom flavored with lemon grass, chilli and lemon.The thing about Zen Oriental Cuisine is that it operates at par with a typical Oriental eatery in any corner of the world. The service time is well above par, while all the waiting staff speak decent enough English.It is the least you could expect of a place that boasts a clientele of diplomats, ministers, fly-in tourists, and generally anybody on the who-is-who list of Kigali.Powerful men and women have dined here, men and women whose names you don’t want to throw around in food reviews.Tony Blair, the former UK Premier and who is a good friend of Rwanda has been here twice, first in December 2010, then two years later, in 2012.Zen seems to have everything going for them and, short of complacency or an act of God, is here to stay.