EAT, DRINK

Chicken and Spice and Everything Nice

Kim Abram doesn't normally eat hot, spicy foods. Neither has she visited Africa. But when she had the chance to go out for a romantic, relaxing and tasty meal with her partner, this Greater Vancouver resident chose Simba's Grill, a restaurant that specializes in Kenyan coastal cuisine. Some people call it African fusion. Abram describes it as "amazing." Not just the food, the entire experience.

The two dined on a mild chicken curry, shrimp, naan bread, chicken shababs (kebabs wrapped in pastry) and finished off with Simba's desserts. In addition, they tied it all together with tall frosty glasses of non-alcoholic mango lassi's. "We rolled out of there, " says the Vancouver career counsellor.

Liza Bautista, a Simba's Grill regular, agrees with the positive assessment. Without fail, on her regular outings to the downtown Vancouver eatery, she orders the Pili Pili Chicken. "its sooooooo delicious," she says of the Cornish game hen cooked crispy and served with a spicy sauce, "A lot of finger licking going on!"

Simba's Grill proprietors, Yasmin and Kurshid Khan, have been working since 1999, creating the kinds of tastes that satisfy the palates of Vancouverites like Bautista and Abram. When the Khan's first immigrated from Kenya a few years back, they saw an opportunity to offer the special mix of tastes from their home: the spicy barbecued kebabs sold in the evenings by street vendors, along with coconut milk curries found in a typical home-cooked meal.

Kenya is a long way from the Greater Vancouver area and as a result, Simba's has exotic ingredients you'll be hard-pressed to find in other restaurants. There are Muhogo fries, deep fried cassava root grown in Africa and Southeast Asia. (North Americans are more familiar with cassava in its tapioca form.) Bautista, an assistant manager in a non-profit organization, prefers these to the common potato fry because of the denser texture: more fibre, less mush, more flavor. With these, Simba's serves three tasty and spicy dipping sauces: tamarind, yogurt and coconut.

Bautista regularly orders rice, a Simba's staple, but an alternative for culinary explorers is ugali, a polenta-style African maize meal that complements spicy sauces and thick, creamy curries. The end result is a tasty, well-rounded meal with a diversity of tastes. 'They're really good at nailing down the subtleties of the flavors," she says.

This Simba's customer is rarely able to eat the entire meal she's ordered, allowing her to take home the extra for a late night snack or lunch another day. Generous portions have contributed to the restaurant's reputation. Yasmin says the decision to offer ample meals was simple: they could afford it. "I don't see why we would want to give little," she said in an interview, "We feel that we can afford it and we want people to feel good."

Clearly, people do feel good. Furthermore, they leave feeling full, especially after they have one of the delectable desserts. A frequent pick is the cheesecake with mango sauce.

The discovery of this cheesecake, which sets a higher bar for desserts everywhere, was no quick find for Yasmin and Kurshid. The path to the perfect texture and taste was a long time in development. In the early days, Kurshid worked on his own variety. Then he tried ordering from a wide range of suppliers. Nothing was quite right until the discovery of the current cake, shipped in from Chicago. From the time the two restaurateurs first taste-tested, they were hooked. Then Kurshid added his own touches.

This baked and chilled delight appears on your plate with a vibrant yellow-orange mango sauce, a Simba's Grill kitchen original created from fresh ripe fruit purchased in huge quantities during mango season. Kurshid purees then freezes the pulp, adds some secret ingredients that include crushed pistachios and then waits. The oohs and aaahs he hears indicate the cheesecake's work is done.

This is not the only dessert, however. Bautista recently, albeit reluctantly, opted to leave the cheesecake in favour of another of Kurshid's desserts: Raas Malai. Her assessment of the baked ricotta soaked in cream, flavoured with saffron and pistachios: "yummy."

Yasmin says another new dessert, called Taboo, is coming soon. This blend of Indian-style pastries with African liquor is "trouble" Yasmin confesses because of the sweet taste and the compounding effects of the Amarula.

On the topic of spirits, African style, Simba's is also one of the few places to quaff a Tusker, a beer brewed in Kenya. Simba's also serves a South African shiraz and chardonnay available as house wines. For those who prefer non-alcoholic drinks, the mango lassi, a yogurt-fruit concoction, has its supporters. Bautista's only warning: don't drink it all before you get your food: mango lassi is tasty and you'll want to down it, but a lassi can be very filling.

While food is, of course, the main draw, Bautista, Abram and Yasmin's other regulars say there's more. While the décor offers an African atmosphere thanks to the mustard walls and carved wooden artwork from, of course, Kenya, personal touch contributes a great deal to Simba's appeal. Both Kurshid and Yasmin enjoy talking to their customers and recommending food to match particular palates. Yasmin suggests Kurshid's interest in communicating brings extra warmth to the restaurant. "He likes to talk. He really likes to talk," she laughs. That individual attention appeals to customers and they prove it by returning regularly. Yasmin says she gets the comment, "we just couldn't stay away." The experience and the food bring them back.

At the moment, Simba's Grill has two locations. One is downtown at 825 Denman Street with the other in East Burnaby at 7413 Edmonds Street. The success of this family business earns Kurshid and Yasmin plenty of requests to franchise the restaurant and open it in other cities, particularly Calgary. However, for now, the two prefer to stick with what they have: two restaurants where they can leave their very personal touch on the dining experiences of customers like Bautista and Abram.

For more info, including opening and closing times, check the Simba's website: www.simbasgrill.com.

(L-R) Liza, Gwen, Yasmin, Kurshid and Esaine