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Simba's Grill

Simba's Grill Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato Simba's Grill is an East African restaurant. The "African" part has a lot of mystique to it since most African restaurants are basically Ethiopian. Unfortunately, there is a very strong Indian influence to East African cuisine, so it's really hard or impossible to separate comparing them.
Going in, try NOT to compare them -- you are not truly going for Indian food, so drop those expectations. If you really want Indian food, just go to an Indian restaurant.

Muhogo ($8) deep fried cassava root
  • Recommended by the server as the most distinctly African dish.
  • We were asked if we wanted "mild, medium, or spicy". The fries were just noticeably salty when I asked for medium. They did however bring two fairly-to-really spicy sauces, a mango chili and a pili pili sauce.
  • Overall pretty good. Not as dense as potato. Crispy and not oily.
2016-Apr-19 - Simba's Grill - Muhogo

A trio of sauces is brought to your table when you order: Yogurt, coconut, tamarind. We got a yellow-coloured mango chili sauce (barely any mango flavour for me) and a quite hot red-coloured pili pili sauce came with our cassava fries.
The yogurt is very useful for clearing your palate if it's burning from the hot sauces.

2016-Apr-19 - Simba's Grill - condiments

Naan ($1.50)
  • We asked for naan instead of rice to go with our curries. Looked suspiciously like store bought flatbread, grilled and cut into quarters.
2016-Apr-19 - Simba's Grill - two orders of naan

Machicha Masala ($15) spinach cooked in tomato curry; with chicken breast, prawns, or lamb
  • Despite the word "curry", there's no spicy heat here at all.
  • Server described it as "melt-in-your-mouth" lamb, so I chose the lamb option.
  • I found the chunks of lamb fairly big and though tender, not THAT tender.
  • Overall tasted sort of boring. I used some of the coconut sauce and pili pili sauce that came with the cassava to jazz it up a bit.
  • Price for portion is high compared to a curry in an Indian restaurant. Apparently comes with NO SIDE and rice is $4!
2016-Apr-19 - Simba's Grill - Machicha Masala (with lamb)

Paka ($15) chicken breast, tilapia fillet, or prawns; cooked in coconut curry
  • Very watery curry with no spicy heat. Because of the watery-ness, best with rice. Would have been nice to be warned.
  • Exactly 5 prawns with the prawn option.
  • Strong coconut flavour makes it fairly tasty, but price for portion is too weak when alternative coconutty curries are available. Apparently comes with NO SIDE and rice is $4!
2016-Apr-19 - Simba's Grill

Lamu Cheesecake ($7) original cheesecake served with mango, pistachio, and almonds
  • Tasted like cheesecake. Nothing special here.
  • Lots of mango puree (?) that flattened the flavour of the nuts.
  • Nothing special here, and at $7 makes it closer to Yaletown price for the portion you get. You do get a lot of mango puree, though.
2016-Apr-19 - Simba's Grill - Lamu Cheese Cake

Free after-dinner chocolate that is like an After Eight (chocolate plus mint).

2016-Apr-19 - Simba's Grill - after-dinner chocolate mint

The chef personally goes round to the tables to take your order. Seemed like a very stiff, almost sour, fellow with very short answers. Servers much friendlier and more personable.

TIP: Window seats are in range of free #TELUS wifi somewhere in the neighbourhood.

TIP: Look for the upside down table!

2016-Apr-19 - Simba's Grill

2016-Apr-19 - Simba's Grill

2016-Apr-19 - Simba's Grill

2016-Apr-19 - Simba's Grill
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