Desiree Koh:
July 2, 2010. We landed, we showered, and we needed to eat something. We cozyed ourselves in Al-Qayam, a hole in the wall endorsed by Spidey himself.
Desiree Koh:
Here are dal bhajia and nylon bhajia - I don't really remember what they are exactly, except for being various versions of a fried potato.
Desiree Koh:
Mutton kebabs.
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Mutton samosas.
Desiree Koh:
The irrepressible marsala tea - oh, I do love it!
Desiree Koh:
So begin our slow, short walk around Dar's downtown district. In fact, the architecture is rather art deco in its own way - scrub them clean, and they would all look pretty good. But somehow, you can't really seem them without their grime.
Desiree Koh:
It's hopping!
Desiree Koh:
A lot of gravel, a lot of crumble, a lot of blank spaces, in all senses of the term.
Desiree Koh:
Now, what's a city without a sidewalk pancake seller? Chapati is common here, because it's used to soak and lap the curries up.
Desiree Koh:
Little balls of cassava, which I wished I had tasted, but I couldn't risk the runs before the mountain.
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Around the Mosque Street area - obviously.
Desiree Koh:
A fruit seller - and yes, durians grow in Tanzania and they love them!
Desiree Koh:
More mosque.
Desiree Koh:
There is not even one shopping mall in Dar, and that's refreshing. Instead, if you needed a new suit, why not saunter over to this fence and pick something secondhand out?
Desiree Koh:
There is also not a big supermarket - there are grocery stores, but to me, markets represent a city. The shelves were misaligned, the products dusty, and runaway boxes of something or other were strewn all over the aisles. Be careful of the bottles tumbli
Desiree Koh:
Dinner was at City Garden, a restaurant that served local food and is usually known for its lunch buffets (apparently a popular tradition for those who can afford it). Here is a chicken tikka pie with fries - the crust was formidable.
Desiree Koh:
Swahili pancakes! Actually, not very much different from regular Bretagne crepes, except for a very robust dash of vanilla in taste. And, find me another place that serves fries on the side of pancakes. Mm mm mm!
Desiree Koh:
I ordered the nyama ya mchuzi, which is a Swahili casserole with prime beef (arguably), potatoes, peas, carrots, onions, peppers, garlic, ginger, coriander and tomatos. Wish a gush of Guinness, this could be an Irish beef stew...
Desiree Koh:
I love my condiments. I really love them. I don't eat ketchup unless I've laced it with Tabasco or some very, very hot sauce - hopefully habanero. So this chili ketchup really is the all-in-one package!
Desiree Koh:
July 3, 2010. The next day, we went out to the Msasani Slipway, which as you can see, doesn't look like it has anything to do with Dar Es Salaam at all. It's located in a ritzy expatriate area with lots of embassies and consulates.
Desiree Koh:
It's almost Florida or California!
Desiree Koh:
The only place open for breakfast was a place called the Tanzania Coffee House, where I had this limp-looking Spanish omelet, that wasn't too bad.
Desiree Koh:
More pancakes. Because. (Yes, I know they're crepes by definition - but when you ask for pancakes in Tanzania, this is what you get.)
Desiree Koh:
A fresh fruit platter, which made me really happy! These slabs of watermelon and pineapple were sweet to the point of despair, and the bananas were fresh.
Desiree Koh:
Of course I had to go to Fairy Delights, a recommended ice cream parlor.
Desiree Koh:
Happiness is a scoop of ice cream. In a waffle cone. The flavor was maldona (almond).
Desiree Koh:
Back in the city, I wandered into St. Joseph's Cathedral, the most popular Catholic church in Dar. I had gatecrashed a wedding.
Desiree Koh:
We ate in at the hotel that evening, and I had my first Tanzanian beer. There are several local brews, but they are all lagers - good for quenching, can't say too much about the flavor.
Desiree Koh:
Here's a Madras crepe for appetizer, filled with prawns and chicken and covered with curry. It sounds amazing in theory. In practice... it was passable.
