Dar Es Salaam Resto — Restaurant in Kerala

Probably one of the rare few places that actually delivers on taste. Let me expain.

Dining in Trivandrum can be summed up in one line: Ambience everywhere, but not a bit of taste. Every other joint is draped in rice lights and has a menu with fancy items, but more often than not, the food tastes average at best. If you've had Chinese or Arabic food at one place, chances are it tastes the same elsewhere.

However, everything we ordered here was well-cooked and had distinctive flavours. The beef coconut fry had the right mix of crispiness, crunchiness and spice. The Fish Chilly was also nice, with soft pieces of fish that were lightly batter-fried and served in a soy-based gravy. Most restaurants douse all of their Chinese items in tomato ketchup and call it a day, but these folks actually put thought into their cooking and served us a distinctly flavoured dish.

The service was also nice. Both of the servers on duty took turns to guide us through the menu, offer their suggestions and ask for feedback. You feel like you're being catered to, which isn't the case at most places.

Is the food pricey? Yes. But when compared to restaurants like Azad Star (Vazhuthacaud) that charge similar rates but serve sub-par food, this place makes you feel like you've gotten your money's worth. You don't get this level of value for money even at some of the luxury hotels here. If you're in Vazhuthacaud or Sasthamangalam or somehwere in between, you must...

The ambience of the restaurant in superb. And tables are a bit tall. So some might feel uncomfortable. But the seats are great.

We went there afternoon time. On the first day, we ordered 2 x Chicken Biriyani and egg biriyani. It was one of the best chicken biriyani that I had tasted. Dad also liked it. And my mom who is not a fan of Biriyanis, loved their Egg Biriyani.

On the second day, we tried the Chicken Biriyani and Egg Biriyani. But the taste wasn't that great. And was a bit oily too.

And the next day we tried their African dish named "Chicken Shakela". It was a good one. I mean you can eat the chicken alone, no need of any bread or anything needed to accompany it. But the mayo provided seems to be company made. I mean it doesn't feel fresh.

The person who attended the tables and took orders has good way of talking. Seems very polite. Appreciate that. Thought he was the owner.

Parking is a big issue. Front side of the restaurant can hardly accommodate 2 cars. Otherwise you have to park them on the road side, which is a tedious task as it is a busy road.

Had their Orange Juice and Mango Juice the first day. And it was of good quality. Second day I tried Mint Lime, which was superb too and it felt premium. But the third day tried Mint Lime again and felt like it was below average.

So what I understood is the taste of the food might change in between. If you are lucky, you will get the...

An above average place. Food is neither great nor bad. Just average.

They've tried to bring in flavours of Africa (dar es salaam is a city in Africa) but have just about 5 items in the menu that are African dishes, and those dishes barely give off a great flavour. The rest of the pages of the menu are vastly Indian and a few chinese dishes.

Chicken shekela- an African dish- a plain, no flavour chicken grill dish with veggies and fries on the side. Quantity is adequate with at least 4 big-enough pieces of chicken.

Mishkaki beef- another African dish- cubes of deep-smoked tender beef with veggies and dip which gives a moderate satisfaction.

We also ordered chicken lollypop, Kerala paratha and appam. The Indian dishes tasted much better.

The decor of the place didn't look anything African, if that's what they were trying to achieve or should have achieved. It was more of an overly veneered Indian decor that appeared mostly pseudo. The oversized tables messed up the ergonomics. Two people would feel too distant if they sat opposite to each other. The warm light looks too luminously yellow. The wooden laminates and cladding look too redundant and cheap. The proprietor has spent a lot of money, but the end result looks just amateurish.

The prices aren't too high compared to the current market trends. So a one time visit...