March 28, 2009: Le Kilimanjaro

Update, 31/12/2014: Le Kilimanjaro has shut down.

Saturday nighttime saw us exploring King Street inward Newtown. We couldn't convince our gaggle of omni friends that Green Gourmet or Basil Pizza were worth visiting, but in i lawsuit mortal muttered something close African nutrient nosotros apace reached consensus. Our Sydney-based hosts pointed us inward the direction of Le Kilimanjaro amongst a few reservations, but their slight ambivalence wasn't plenty to dissuade the residue of us in addition to nosotros settled apace in.

The eating theatre is comfy in addition to atmospheric, amongst diverse African-themed wall decorations in addition to the staff wandering only about inward traditional African ensembles. I'd been expecting something like to our Ethiopian dining experiences, but Le Kilimanjaro serves upwardly nutrient from East Africa including Ghana, Senegal in addition to Kenya. The carte du jour is posted upwardly on a big board amongst helpful descriptions of the many dishes available (including a dish amongst a lift that literally translates every bit 'homosexual tuna'). We weren't overwhelmed past times vego options, but at that topographic point were a decent pose out of side dishes available in addition to at to the lowest degree a distich of mains.

Cindy stuck alone to the side dish menu, opting for Accara (black-eyed beans soaked overnight in addition to and therefore set down amongst mild African spices, fried inward circular balls in addition to served amongst aromatic sauce, $6) in addition to Batansey (fried eggplant inward a mildly spiced sauce amongst onions, $6) dished upwardly amongst a serve of African apartment staff of life ($2).

The flatbread is a chip dissimilar to the Ethiopian injeera - based on cous-cous grain blended amongst onion in addition to spices. It's a chip denser than injeera in addition to didn't quite stair out upwardly for Cindy.

The bean-based balls were also a tad on the diappointing side - the sauce was a lightly-spiced tomatoey sensation, but the balls themselves were a chip heavy in addition to dry. They took a chip to a greater extent than chewing than nosotros expected.

The best of Cindy's bunch was the eggplant dish - a saucy stew filled amongst chunks of deliciously fried eggplant in addition to heavy on the onions. I only snuck a picayune taste, but it hitting the spot quite nicely.

I decided to brave both a primary dish in addition to a side - Ndambe (mid-African spices, lentils, tomato, kidney beans in addition to vegetables, $9.80) in addition to Mboum (cruncy African spinach amongst a romantically spiced sauce, $6), amongst a pocket-size serve of cous-cous ($1.50). Unfortunately things came out inward a fairly shambolic way, amongst the spinach arriving x minutes earlier anything to accompany it in addition to the cous-cous only turning upwardly later on I was good into my stewy main.

Despite the slightly ramshackle service, my nutrient was outstanding - the Ndambe was based on a richly spiced love apple tree sauce in addition to was inundation amongst beans, lentils, chunks of vegies in addition to a sprinkling of fresh herbs. Once I had some cous-cous to soak upwardly the sauce, I was a happy man.

I was fifty-fifty happier in i lawsuit I chomped into my spinach side - it's a real uncomplicated idea, direct maintain some crisp greens in addition to coat them inward a mildly spicy sauce. Simple in addition to real effective - the spinach was everyone's favourite dish, in addition to the fresh greens complemented the heavy stews that made upwardly most of the evening's meals.

Le Kilimanjaro is a BYO place, amongst only a distich of options on the drinks menu. Cindy's 'ginger drink' (freshly squeezed ginger amongst vanilla sugar) was incredibly gingery in addition to strong, but every bit refreshing every bit the carte du jour promised.

My mysterious 'African bloom drink' unfortunately never arrived, therefore it remains an unknown quantity. Maybe they were out of flowers.

Despite some fairly 'relaxed' service, the nutrient (and the prices) meant that nobody walked away also disappointed amongst Le Kilimanjaro, but if we're always seeking African nutrient inward Newtown again, we'll belike walk the other agency along King Street to African Feeling.

Address: 280 King Street, Sydney
Ph: 02 9557 4565
BYO only
Price: Vegie mains: $9.80, sides: $1.50-$6