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Category archives: African

Safari Njema Restaurant

Kenya, with their famous Masai Mara area where all big five game animals — lion, elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo and leopard — can be seen, was on the top of many travelers’ list.

But before my trip can materialized, what better to explore its food while in Seattle.

Luckily, we have a Kenyan community here, and a Kenyan restaurant!

Safari Njema is definitely a family restaurant.

Our chef doubled up as the wait person, and tripled up as the cashier.

I could not speak for Safari Njema’s authenticity, but it was good news that other patrons were Africans, I assumed it would not be inauthentic.

Menu was a simple two-pager with five protein selections, and each entrée came with a choice of starch and a choice of vegetable.

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There were a few appetizers and drinks; desserts were Western (chocolate cake, mango cheesecake etc.).

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Cederberg Tea House

At the top of Queen Anne Hill lies Seattle’s connection to South Africa — Cederberg Tea House.

WP_20150318_11_59_36_ProWe were in the neighborhood and was looking for something unusual and good for lunch, Cederberg came highly recommended by online community.

One could not miss its location with proud South African flag flying just outside of the cafe.

A cozy, lay back cafe in dark wood, the place sits a little under 30 people, offering breakfast, lunch and drinks.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by the friendliest folks.

Plenty pastries, sweet and savory adorned the display case with a big list of espresso drinks; most importantly rooibos drinks.

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Rooibos tea, or red bush tea, has become very popular as a caffeine-free tea option in the past years in the U.S.,  yet it has been a staple for South African for a long time.

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Nue

The celebration of international street foods is the theme at Nue.

Located in Capitol Hill neighborhood, Nue has a fun décor with many Asian-inspired artifacts in the restaurant.

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Once walked in, the bustling open kitchen made the place very lively, recreating that sense of eating out on a street, surrounded by many street vendors.

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La Teranga

Continued my education on African food, I found La Teranga, a Senegalese restaurant in Columbia City.

Located on the main street of Rainier Ave, the restaurant was still easy to miss because it was tiny!

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Even though there were 4 square 4-people table inside the restaurant, it truly sat 8 people total comfortably.

I loved that it was so intimate and the tantalizing aromas from the kitchen emanated through the place.

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