Zen Oriental Cuisine
Sushi
Sushi is a Japanese dish consisting of cooked vinegary rice which is commonly topped with other ingredients, such as fish or other seafood, or put into rolls. Sliced raw fish by itself is called sashimi, as distinct from sushi. Sushi that is served rolled inside or around dried and pressed sheets of seaweed (or nori) is makizushi.
Dim Sum
Dim Sum is a traditional Cantonese cuisine. They come in a variety of small, delicious, steamed, or fried buns, dumplings, or rice rolls which contain a range of fillings that include beef, chicken, vegetables, or prawn options. The size of a dim sum is usually small so it is always a good idea to choose a number of different varieties of dim sum when you place your order. Zen Restaurant serves a wide variety of dim sum and they range in price from 3,700-7,200 Rfw.
Zen Restaurant has a wide variety of different meals to choose from their menu and these range from starters to soups, salads to their signature dishes, sushi to dim sum, and noodles to rice – not to mention their delicious desserts.
The Starters on the menu range in price from 3,700- 11,200 Rfw and one can order meals like the Spicy Chicken Wings, Lettuce Wraps, or the Crispy Duck Rolls. The Soup on the menu ranges in price from 4,200-6,000 Rfw. As a lover of great-tasting soup, I ordered the Tom Yum Soup (mushrooms flavored with lemongrass, chili, kaffir leaves, and lime) for 4,200 Rfw and it was heavenly. It was spicy and delicious and I just couldn’t get enough (despite the fact that they served the soup in a big bowl that would have satisfied two hungry souls with ease). The Noodle and Rice dishes vary in price from 2,000-5,500 Rfw and their Signature Dishes from 4,800-19,000 Rfw – the latter will get you a Whole Lobster!
Once you’ve managed to get through one or two of the meals that are served and you find you have enough room to“spoil yourself” a little further, why not try one of the desserts on the menu. I ordered their Chocolate Mousse which was pure decadence – it was creamy, rich, and downright delicious. Zen is fully licensed and they have a good selection of wines and spirits, beers, and cold drinks. They also serve a variety of different teas and coffees – in my opinion, they serve the best African tea with Ginger I have ever had.
The waiters/waitresses at Zen Restaurant are attentive, well dressed, have a friendly manner, and have an even better understanding of what’s on the menu. They make you feel comfortable the minute you walk in. I thoroughly enjoyed my first visit to Zen Restaurant. I enjoyed their delicious food and their excellent service and I will definitely be going back. As a vegetarian, I was most impressed by how many vegetarian meals they had on offer, and for that reason alone, I will be going back.
For reservations/more information, please contact: Zen Oriental Cuisine, Just pass MTN
Centre, Nyarutarama, Kigali.
Mobile: +250 782588593.
Email: melaniecordero@zenkigali.com
Rwanda General Useful Information
Location
Central Africa.
Time
GMT + 2.
Area
26,338 sq km (10,169 sq miles).
Population
8.6 million (UN, 2005).
Population Density
326.52 per sq km.
Capital
Kigali.
Population:
800,000 (estimate 2005).
Geography
Rwanda is a small mountainous country in central Africa, bordered to the north by Uganda, to the east by Tanzania, to the south by Burundi, and to the west by the Democratic Republic of Congo. The country is divided by great peaks of up to 3000m (9842ft), which run across the country from north to south. The Virunga volcanoes, rising steeply from Lake Kivu in the west, slope down first to a hilly central plateau and further eastwards to an area of marshy lakes around the upper reaches of the A’Kagera River, where the A’Kagera National Park is situated.
Government
Republic since 1962. Gained independence from Belgium in 1962.
The Government, led by former army chief Paul Kagame, has a fairly impressive record under extremely difficult circumstances. The country relies heavily on western aid to sustain its economy. However, there are signs of an increasingly dictatorial attitude on the part of the Government, manifested in the Presidential and Parliamentary elections held in the summer of 2003: amid numerous allegations of intimidation and ballot-rigging, Kagame and the Rwandan Patriotic Front won both polls with a huge majority. Given the Tutsi dominance of the RPF, there is a clear danger of a future repeat of the ethnic violence that has disfigured Rwanda since Independence.
Executive power is held by the President, who is directly elected to serve a seven-year term. The legislature is the bicameral National Assembly. This comprises the 80-member Umutwe w’Abadepite (Chamber of Deputies) and the 26-member Umutwe wa Sena (Senate). The Chamber of Deputies serves a five-year term: 53 members are elected by proportional representation, 24 seats are reserved for women, two for the National Youth Council, and the remaining seat for the disabled. Members of the Senate serve an eight-year term: eight are appointed by the President; the remainder are indirectly elected.
Head of Government
Prime Minister Bernard Makuza since 2000.
Head of State
President Paul Kagame since 2000.
Language
The official languages are Kinyarwanda, French, and English. Kiswahili is used for trade and commerce.
Religion
Animist (50 percent), Christian (mostly Roman Catholic), and an Islamic minority.
Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz.
Social Conventions
The traditional way of life is based on agriculture and cattle. The Rwandans settle in the fertile areas, but they do not form villages, each family being surrounded by its own fields. The majority of the population belongs to the Hutu tribe. There is a significant Tutsi minority (15 percent) and a smaller minority of Twa, a mixed-race of traditional potters and hunters and said to be the country’s first inhabitants. Normal social courtesies apply.