On a hot sunny day in Kigali, with a tight schedule to make sure that each and every office had received the latest issue of the Eye magazine, I hooked up with two friends at Kigali Business Center for lunch.  I suggested we should try a new restaurant called Emeraude and was surprised neither of them had ever visited despite the fact they have been to most corners of Kigali. 

The restaurant is located off Boulevard de l’ Umuganda, behind the building hosting FAO / UNHCR. It is an old fashioned, white building but well maintained and overlooking the new Nyarutarama Estates. At the entrance you are welcomed by a smiling waiter, and the inside décor inside is more welcoming.

The walls are brightly coloured and decorated with colourful African paintings and statues, as well and well positioned plants throughout the restaurant.  We opted to sit upstairs on the deck to a catch a cool breeze. Browsing through the menu it was evident that Emeraude is an international restaurant with exotic cuisine. It has a varied menu unlike most restaurants in Kigali with the usual local buffets. Lenny, the restaurant manager, guided us through the menu to choose what would take the least time to prepare since we were in a hurry, and took our order and as well. I ordered a fish salad and a glass of red wine while my colleagues ordered T-bone steaks with chips and some beers. In less than five minutes we received a starter which composed of chilled guacamole with chapatti chips.

This drove my appetite to heaven; wow the food was really delicious. For my main course I was served with a plate full of fresh salad, well presented, with deep-fried spiced fish fingers incorporated with tartar sauce, as well as a variety of salad dressings. As for my two colleagues, the aroma from their plates was mouth watering and I couldn’t take my eyes off them

I didn’t hesitate to taste the juicy medium-done steak, well tenderized and a little bit crunchy on top, with golden brown chips, vegetables on the side and mushroom sauce. The plate presentation and service are second to none. The food is fairly priced, though some people were complaining, but I felt you get value for your money. Our lunch cost 13,000 francs and the three of us were satisfied to the brim, forcing me to buy more time and reschedule my next appointment.

After the table had been cleared Lenny was back to get some feed back about the lunch, and there were no complaints. We also learnt that the restaurant organizes group bookings for corporate lunches, birthday parties, weekend family packages and they also offer special dishes on certain days.  On Mondays, don’t miss “couples special day” - pay for one meal, get one free. 

The bathrooms looked good except that there was a water crisis so there was no piped water when we visited, but they were ferrying water in jerry cans to keep them clean, which I guess has been rectified by now.

Overall I was impressed by the food and service at Emeraude Restaurant – and I recommend you go there to make your own judgment