A bit of the French connection

Select Boutique is located in Kimihurura, on the lower road past the Polisi Den complex, the building that houses The New Times and StarTimes. The hotel is slightly over three years old, although in its present shape it looks much younger. There is a neat, uncluttered and homely feel about it that sets the pace for that “home-away-from-home” feel typical with boutique hotels; perhaps the kind of place that the big star hotels will not hesitate to recommend to their clients on days when their own facilities are overbooked. For in-house guests, the hotel stay kicks off on a rather light note, with something known as “mini bar”, in which two home brewed beers (Mutzig and Primus), or soft drinks are offered on the house. Talking of drinks, they do have a modern, air conditioned wine lounge that stocks up on strictly French wines. Adjacent to this is a modest bookshelf from which I managed to glean the works of such authors as John Grisham, Wilbur Smith, Steven Saylor, and Graham Hurley. The rest of the books, in French, also looked like good reads. Sadly, however, a sizeable number of the books have been siphoned off by a few naughty guests over time. Perhaps what Select Boutique is best known for is bringing a bit of the French connection over to Kigali. Their a la carte menu is prepared by the head chef, Thierry Karekezi, a man who honed his skills in Brussels. Leek soup, beef fillet and mushroom sauce go for 10.000 Rwf each, while the cheese fondue, avocado salad with shrimps, chicken stew, and mushroom cream all go for Rwf13,500. They have a separate menu for children, with the choice of pasta, tomato, meat balls, breaded tilapia, mini steak and eggs that goes for Rwf7,500. For main course, there is a choice between meats, chicken, and fish. Meat lovers have a choice between beef fillet in pepper sauce, lamb chops with tarragon, rabbit in brown beer sauce and pork fillet. Chicken comes in mushroom or coconut sauce, or mixed with red wine, and all these main course meats hover around the Rwf10,000 mark. However, should you opt for the ultimate mix of seafood, it will cost double that amount. The rooms, seven in total are classified into three: the grand suite that costs $440 and $490 for single and double; junior suites, and deluxe rooms.