Places to eat in Tanzania

I found out about this restaurant on www.africa-beat.com. It's not for backpackers, we are talking good food and good service. Many choose thise place for romantic dinners or for business.

Favorite Dish: antipasto or carpaccio

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Two of our camps had on site bars where you could purchase alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, which was really nice. Having visited East Africa on several previous occasions, we were aware of the South African Savannah Cider which is imported to many sub-Saharan countries, so we made a point of stopping to get some provisions before leaving the main town of Arusha. We also bought some Diet Coke (to go with our duty free Bacardi) and small snacks such as peanuts and crisps to eat while we were waiting for dinner to be cooked in the evening. If you wish to have anything else to drink on the trip other than water, this would be a good time to stock up. It would be only polite to check with the driver to ensure that there is space on the vehicle for anything that you buy.

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If you are staying at lodges, they generally provide full board on a buffet basis. Usually the food is western style with the occasional local dish or curry thrown in for good measure. At the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the dinner was in fact a la carte. This was great news to both of us as, as neither of us is particularly fond of buffets. The lodge also provided a breakfast and lunch picnic for the following day. We only stayed there one night. The food was very tasty; in fact the starter was so good that when the waiter asked us if we wanted a second helping, we both jumped at the chance. Be aware that drinks purchased at the lodges can be very expensive.

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If you are a vegetarian, vegan, celiac or have any other dietary requirements, be sure to tell the operators when booking the safari. Most diets can be catered for, but if you are on a camping safari, the cook usually buys most of the food before the safari starts so as not to waste time on the trip. You may also wish to inform them if you do not like your food spicy or have any other preferences such as extreme dislikes. It makes it so much easier for the cook and so much more enjoyable for you.

Another thing to consider is the cleanliness during food preparation and eating. Make sure you wash your hands before every meal, and insist that the cook does so too. I must admit I didn’t actually check that ours did, but we had no stomach problems so I guess it was OK. He always washed his hands prior to eating, so I am sure he was as meticulous when cooking. I was very impressed with the quality of the food Arnaud (our cook) presented us with on the safari – he even magically produced a birthday cake for David from a field kitchen in the middle of nowhere!

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Being on a camping safari, we carried all our food and water (which was included in the basic cost of the trip – another consideration as it may be difficult (and/or expensive) to purchase water en route) with us, as well as a cook. All our camps we had separate cooking facilities available for the cook to prepare our dinner. Be clear with the safari operator exactly to what extent you are expected to help with the chores. This would usually depend on how many there are of you in the group; with just two of us, we were not expected to contribute to the preparation of food or the washing up. On a previous trip, in a group of 15 on an overlander truck, we took it in turns to help with food preparations as well as the washing up and loading of the truck.

Favorite Dish: If you are planning a camping safari, you may wish to enquire whether the operators provide seating for you to eat your food. For breakfast and lunch this is not a problem for me, as I am quite happy to stand and eat (especially after sitting down in the safari vehicle for a long time). I cannot, however, sit on the ground for any periods of time due to a back injury, so having a camping chair is important to me. On some previous trips, where these have not been provided, I have packed my own. Calabash provided chairs and a table for dining.

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If your safari is lodge based, staying in the same lodge the entire time, you may find that the driver takes you back to the lodge for an extended lunch in the middle of the day. They may do an early morning game drive, coming back for a late breakfast around 10am, with the rest of the day free until an afternoon game drive around 3pm. Many lodges will have swimming pools where you can laze away the midday, or you may be able to overlook a waterhole. I personally prefer to be out all day, as I don’t do relaxation on holiday. But that is my own personal preference; you may very well want some chill-out time.

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Most people don’t go on a safari for a gourmet experience, but you might as well have food you enjoy. Most safari companies provide you will full board: that is breakfast, lunch and dinner. Lunch is often taken as a picnic whilst on a safari drive. You should also be able to arrange with your driver to take breakfast this way too, so that you can set off early and stay out all day. Otherwise, what often happens is that you go off for a game drive at first light (or even before dawn) after a cup of coffee (and a biscuit if you are lucky) and come back for a later breakfast. The only problem I find with this is that I get very hungry if I don’t eat a proper breakfast within an hour or two after getting up, so I tend to take with me some cereal bars or other snack bars from home. That way I can keep the hunger at bay until brunch.

Favorite Dish: Our breakfast picnic consisted of fresh fruit, a bread roll, boiled egg, sausages, and orange juice. The lunch picnic was more or less the same, but often included a piece of cooked chicken, sandwiches and a cake or chocolate.

the food, wine (South African) and service was excellent, particularly the lobster or prawns.

nice atmosphere with Thai, Chinese and Japanese cuisine on offer.

Favorite Dish: grilled giant prawns in spicy Thai sauce