One of our recent Kigali discoveries was Sirocco Y Sol, a beautiful rooftop restaurant in Kimihurura. We were invited there for a volunteer get-together, and it turned out to be one of those evenings that combines good food, great company and a setting that makes you want to slow down and stay awhile.
The restaurant describes itself as “the whole Mediterranean, on one rooftop.” Rather than choosing one cuisine, they bring together the flavours of Greece, Spain, Italy and Morocco — from souvlaki and paella to tagine, mezze and tiramisu.
Being food lovers, we decided there was really only one way to approach the menu: order every main and share!
It was a great way to experience the restaurant. We could sample everything rather than having to choose just one dish, and every main we tried was very good. We started with the bruschetta, which was lovely, and the cocktails were excellent as well. Sharing the different dishes around the table made the whole dinner feel relaxed and convivial — exactly what you want from an evening out.
Even the name has a story.
The sirocco is the wind that crosses the Mediterranean, travelling up from the Sahara and across the sea toward Morocco, Spain, Italy and Greece. Sol is the sun. Together, the name reflects the restaurant’s concept: one wind, one sun and many Mediterranean shores brought together in one place.
And then there is the rooftop.
As evening settles over Kigali, the city begins to quiet below while the surrounding hills take on a beautiful golden glow. The temperature is wonderfully cool, and sitting above the city with the evening air around you creates a feeling that there is absolutely no reason to hurry.
Perhaps what made the evening particularly special for us, though, was Chef Sebastian, who is Canadian.
There is something wonderfully unexpected about meeting a fellow Canadian on a rooftop in Kigali while enjoying Mediterranean food. We have only recently arrived in Rwanda, and already we are discovering how international this city is. People from so many different places have made Kigali their home, bringing their cultures, experiences and talents with them.
Sebastian is part of that fascinating mix.
It seems particularly fitting that a restaurant built around bringing different Mediterranean cultures together would have an international story of its own. A Canadian chef, creating a Mediterranean experience on a rooftop overlooking Kigali — somehow, it all works.
Our evening at Sirocco Y Sol was another reminder of one of the pleasures of living somewhere new: you never quite know what — or who — you are going to discover.
We went for a volunteer get-together and came with an appetite. We left having sampled the entire menu, enjoyed some wonderful cocktails, met a Canadian chef and discovered another beautiful corner of our new city.
Not a bad evening in Kigali.
And I have a feeling Sirocco Y Sol may be seeing us again.
