Joy Time Bar is located in Gisimenti, behind the Chez Lando Hotel. It is about eight months in existence, and is one of those places curved out of a residential house. It is impossible to miss, thanks to some aggressive branding work from Mutzig beer. The walls are bathed in the traditional deep red colours of the brand, that one could actually mistake it for a mini-depot. Walking in, to your immediate right is the outdoor bar, with an adjoining terrace for those that prefer the outdoors. Walk past a sprinkling of white plastic garden chairs and tables, and you will be right at the doorway to the main building, which houses a bar, buffet, two private cubicles, and beyond, the kitchens. The cubicles come furnished with sofa-style seating, and can each take up about six people. Actually, they are good enough for that small, intimate family outing. But they can mean to be rather stuffy, owing to some mean ventilation. The waiting staff were hard for us to spot initially, because they each seemed to have their own version of uniform. However, once you’ve established an understanding with them, they will do a good job guiding you around the buffet. And at just Rwf1,500, their buffet is among the cheapest in the Remera area. The menu is rather limited, as they do only the local staples; chips, cassava, sweet potatoes, rice, beans, beef, and assorted vegetables. The food is just food to fill your stomach and rush back to work. Nothing special. Come evenings, and the buffet is shoved aside, and in its place the barbecue grills come to life as the first nyama choma-brochette-akabenzi clients start to trickle in.
