This was my first trip to the Congo (Pointe-Noire) and I stayed at the Victory Palace hotel. We had dinner in their restaurant. I was not expecting much, what I surprise! The food is prepared by a Gabonese chef who must have studied under one of the greatest chefs in France. Although I can't specifically remember what I ordered (a grilled stuffed tomato appetizer and a lamb dish, among others, it was all magnificent! The biggest surprise was the wine list! As Louis Pasteur said,"wine is the perfect food!" When I looked at the wine list, the first item I randomly saw was a 1997 Chateau D"Yquem"! When I looked at the reds, they had a Chateau Petrus ('99), among others! In all, it was a 10-15 page list of some of the best wines I have ever seen, or drunk. You could not find most of them in ANY 5 star restaurant in New York! I ordered a somewhat more modest selection for the table(7) as I was the guest ;)
The Hotel is a renovated colonial style villa/embassy? It only has duplex suites, complete with flat panel tvs and satellite. A pleasant surprise that I wont forget for a long time.
The stuffed tomato appetizer with goat cheese and caviar(I think)