MLI: African Grill

Have you tried couscous made of fermented cassava before?

We've come to the last post on Bamako, Mali, and most likely there won't be any more in the future. Before leaving for another African country, my BFF and I had our last meal at African Grill during lunch time. It's a no-frills eatery located within the premise of National Museum of Mali.

The names of the dishes are written in French in the menu booklet, but each of them is followed by French and English descriptions of the main ingredients.

Pastels a la Viande CFA 2,500 (~S$5.80)

Taste: 8/10

The appetiser dish actually came after the main courses as they'd probably forgotten about it till later. Served piping hot, those pouches made of wheat flour were enjoyably crunchy. 

Each of them was filled with minced beef, onions, garlic and parsley. Everything was pretty moist and delicious. The accompanying chili might appear spicy, but it wasn't the case. 

Brochette de Boeuf CFA 5,000 (~S$11.65)

Taste: 6.5/10

Accompanied by tomato salsa that could be more refreshing, the beef skewers came to the table lukewarm. While the red meat was quite flavourful, it wasn't as tender as expected. For the carbohydrate, we'd told the server that we wanted to try the eatery's version of Indonesian fried rice, but white rice was served instead. 

Capitaine Braisé CFA 6,000 (~S$14.00)

Taste: 7.5/10

The captain fish fillet rubbed with herbs turned out to be a better main course, for it was adequately moist. Served on the side was a mix of chopped green peppers, tomatoes and onions. It was my virgin experience with attiéké (Côte d'Ivoire delicacy of fermented cassava couscous), though it wasn't that special. Pika's advice: For this particular dish, you can choose to have your fish either as a fillet or skewered.

Degue CFA 2,000 (~S$4.65)

Taste: 7.5/10

Degue is a Senegalese dessert item that features millet couscous in a mixture of fresh milk, sweetened condensed milk and/or yogurt. Served warm, the frothy delicacy had quite a strong aroma of nutmeg. The couscous was quite bouncy. I wonder if it'd be better when served chilled.

Jus Baobab CFA 1,000 (~S$2.35)

Taste: 7.5/10

Being the first African country visited, Mali has given me the opportunity to try quite a number of things for the first time in my life. Baobab is a species of tree found in Africa, Arabia and Australia. Blended with milk, it was a somewhat thick and creamy beverage that was sweet and sour in terms of taste. Quite interesting, I must say.

Melon's Rating

Taste: 7.5/10

Ambience: 6.5/10

Service: 6/10

Overall: 6.5/10

Would you like to visit Mali?

African Grill

Avenue de la Liberte

National Museum of Mali

Bamako

Mali

(Opening hours unknown - Anyone knows?)

*Prices quoted are nett prices.

Have a nice meal,

Cliff(y)