There
are many places in Abuja that you can spend the entire year driving by without
ever noticing what is around you. Abuja is that town; a town that may already have
the answers to all your questions but never announce it. Maybe is the stellar
condition of the road networks, but people don’t stop to observe till the rare
occasion of deadlock traffic; or maybe it is because for some reason
architecture in Abuja mimics itself, you can never tell if its residential,
commercial or for leisure.
I had driven past Sawadee, which is located off the very popular Aminu Kano axis of Abuja, on several occasions. I hadn’t so much as looked at it in the past, I was always headed somewhere else. I however did come to notice it rather fortuitously; I was forced to slow down at one of those ubiquitous speed bumps in Abuja and it was there I noticed the sprawling building. I made a mental note to visit for a Consummate Experience.
I made attempts to experience Sawadee shortly after I discovered it, but my plans were thwarted at the last minute for various reasons, and once, while actually arriving at the gate I was waylaid by the bold Quit sign that had been plastered on the gate. Apparently the city administration just discovered that, restaurants and other such establishments needed to renew their permits. I found the same sign at the entrance of the dry-cleaners in the same week. I would have assumed that it was some grand conspiracy by Omo and Indomie to take the market, but nah, that's too smart.
Eventually permits were paid for, or someone was bribed or someone was called and told that it was this persons or that person’s wife that owned the business; whatever the back-room dealing, I arrived at Sawadee one night and the gates were welcome to me. I was immediately taken with how much space the area had, at rough estimates you could park 50-60 vehicles within the premises, and if you really wanted too with a little common sense you could fit in a few more. The building which again, looked like a house, sat back within the area and there was another building right next to it. The house looked all the more daunting and ominous because my car was the only one parked.
I walked the short distance to the front door and noticed the little bridge that should typically have had fish swimming underneath it, I looked down and there were no fishes. Sawadee that day seemed particularly lonely, I thought to myself, perhaps the ambience would be more comely. I walked in and was greeted by a waitress by the door who was dressed very smartly, she had a warm smiled and welcomed me in, but that was the only thing that was warm about the restaurant at that time. The décor was oriental enough, but it didn't look like it had been built as a restaurant, it was tellingly a house.
I walked into the dining area affirming to the waitress that there was no company, there was a staircase leading upstairs and a bar area with the visible drink cooler that is now becoming the norm, complete with all the local and foreign brew. I sat down and noticed that I was in company of some British nationals who weren't doing a very good job of keeping their conversations to themselves, or perhaps it was the acoustics of the room.
The menu was brought to me promptly, for this I was grateful. I studied the menu and realised how extensive it was when I got to number 75, I settled for a Poh pia tod (Prawn and Mayonnaise Springroll) Tom Kha Kai (chicken hot spicy coconut with galangal), Kao pad kai (egg fried rice), Nua pad graprao (stir fried beef) with lots of freshly squeezed orange juice and water.
Left to my own devices, I had time to pay the restaurant a little more attention, the dining area could easily take 40-50 covers, the décor was oriental but wasn't bold or bright, it didn't take your attention right away, it played with very light or drab colours. The chairs were covered in a light blue cover, and the table mats were a chequered clay-dust brown colour, without careful inspection, it almost looked like Ankara material. The décor was like that weak handshake you give in the hallways of a busy office when you are in transit, it functioned but clearly showed your mind was somewhere else.
With nothing else to do but fiddle with my phone, my attention was soon drawn to the table of Brits who were loudly exchanging war stories from their time in Nigeria, they were largely trading stories on their families’ horror when they had been sent to Nigeria; but they, the Brits apparently were loving it. The conversation moved to all the things to do and places to go, soon enough as to be expected when there are a group of men, the conversation moved to women. They couldn't believe how easy it was with Nigerian women, if I was more inclined I would have pointed out that the women they so gallantly put on their arms were often un-pretty and often had a price, but I wasn't in the mood. I just imagined what these men would all look like in twenty years; sitting at the same table, balding, with their Nigerians wives waiting at home in the house that they bought for them, wondering how a 2-year post turned into a twenty year marriage with children. The real Africa Magic isn't on Dstv, it is in some obscure village sitting in a pot.
My starter arrived and caught me in the middle of that thought, the waiter paused to see what had me so amused, I waved him on. I was caught in my own mind; the soup was served in a very large metal pot that looked very Asian. I served myself and with the thought of the Brits being colonised in Nigeria, I took my first spoonful. It was complete sensory overload. Thai food has always been a bit of a funny one to me, the mix of herbs and plants that have little in common has always given me pause, but good cuisine is nothing if not experimental.
But Thai Food is complete sensory overload especially the soups; you never know which herb you are smelling and which you are tasting at the same time, it is like having a traffic light in your mouth with all lights giving instructions all at once; red, yellow and green all at once. The predominant herbs and ingredients were lemon-grass coconut, chicken and a kaleidoscope of other herbs and spices that I couldn't possibly place. Lemon-grass is such a potent ingredient with such a strong smell, you don’t understand when you are tasting or when you are smelling it, despite this I kept at it till I had thoroughly tried to guess everything in the soup and failed. In retrospect it was an interesting culinary experiment and I enjoyed it. The main course arrived before I finished the starter.
I swiftly moved onto the main dish and I cannot remember having stir fried beef as well as this, and I have had my fair share of oriental food. The beef was tender and dissolved as soon as it hit the tongue, it was coated in a thick soy-based paste, and there was no experiment about it. The dish was a master-class, I didn't need to understand what went where, or what was in it, I simply understood that it was something that I needed to keep eating. I would put a spoon of rice and beef in my mouth and wait for the moment it would hit me, when it would engage me. It was almost instant, I would smell the food before I would even taste it, like my nose was giving my tongue expo on what to expect. I almost willed myself not to swallow the food, not wanting to let the moment pass.
At the time it did register that the food tasted more Chinese than Thai, but who was to judge and quite frankly who cared. It was labour, it was a matter of putting enough of the food in the space that I was forcing my brain to create in my stomach; it was a fool’s errand.
Sensing my dilemma, my efficient waiter stepped up and asked if I might enjoy taking it away, I must have nodded in the affirmative because he whisked the food away and presented it a short time later. The final bill was settled at N 10,000.00 and I was on my way.
I got to the car and noticed that it had been washed and polished, I smiled and tipped the dutiful security men who had made this happen, I thought about the quit notice still at the entrance of my launderers, I wondered if they would have done my laundry while I ate, but as soon as I cleared the speed bumps I was off into the Abuja Night. Another Consummate Experience complete.
Sawadee Oriental Cuisine is located at No 43/45 Kumasi Crescent ,off Aminu Kano Crescent ,Wuse II Abuja, Nigeria and can be reached on +234 813 903 1019 or +234 9 291 1286.
I had driven past Sawadee, which is located off the very popular Aminu Kano axis of Abuja, on several occasions. I hadn’t so much as looked at it in the past, I was always headed somewhere else. I however did come to notice it rather fortuitously; I was forced to slow down at one of those ubiquitous speed bumps in Abuja and it was there I noticed the sprawling building. I made a mental note to visit for a Consummate Experience.
I made attempts to experience Sawadee shortly after I discovered it, but my plans were thwarted at the last minute for various reasons, and once, while actually arriving at the gate I was waylaid by the bold Quit sign that had been plastered on the gate. Apparently the city administration just discovered that, restaurants and other such establishments needed to renew their permits. I found the same sign at the entrance of the dry-cleaners in the same week. I would have assumed that it was some grand conspiracy by Omo and Indomie to take the market, but nah, that's too smart.
Eventually permits were paid for, or someone was bribed or someone was called and told that it was this persons or that person’s wife that owned the business; whatever the back-room dealing, I arrived at Sawadee one night and the gates were welcome to me. I was immediately taken with how much space the area had, at rough estimates you could park 50-60 vehicles within the premises, and if you really wanted too with a little common sense you could fit in a few more. The building which again, looked like a house, sat back within the area and there was another building right next to it. The house looked all the more daunting and ominous because my car was the only one parked.
I walked the short distance to the front door and noticed the little bridge that should typically have had fish swimming underneath it, I looked down and there were no fishes. Sawadee that day seemed particularly lonely, I thought to myself, perhaps the ambience would be more comely. I walked in and was greeted by a waitress by the door who was dressed very smartly, she had a warm smiled and welcomed me in, but that was the only thing that was warm about the restaurant at that time. The décor was oriental enough, but it didn't look like it had been built as a restaurant, it was tellingly a house.
I walked into the dining area affirming to the waitress that there was no company, there was a staircase leading upstairs and a bar area with the visible drink cooler that is now becoming the norm, complete with all the local and foreign brew. I sat down and noticed that I was in company of some British nationals who weren't doing a very good job of keeping their conversations to themselves, or perhaps it was the acoustics of the room.
The menu was brought to me promptly, for this I was grateful. I studied the menu and realised how extensive it was when I got to number 75, I settled for a Poh pia tod (Prawn and Mayonnaise Springroll) Tom Kha Kai (chicken hot spicy coconut with galangal), Kao pad kai (egg fried rice), Nua pad graprao (stir fried beef) with lots of freshly squeezed orange juice and water.
Left to my own devices, I had time to pay the restaurant a little more attention, the dining area could easily take 40-50 covers, the décor was oriental but wasn't bold or bright, it didn't take your attention right away, it played with very light or drab colours. The chairs were covered in a light blue cover, and the table mats were a chequered clay-dust brown colour, without careful inspection, it almost looked like Ankara material. The décor was like that weak handshake you give in the hallways of a busy office when you are in transit, it functioned but clearly showed your mind was somewhere else.
With nothing else to do but fiddle with my phone, my attention was soon drawn to the table of Brits who were loudly exchanging war stories from their time in Nigeria, they were largely trading stories on their families’ horror when they had been sent to Nigeria; but they, the Brits apparently were loving it. The conversation moved to all the things to do and places to go, soon enough as to be expected when there are a group of men, the conversation moved to women. They couldn't believe how easy it was with Nigerian women, if I was more inclined I would have pointed out that the women they so gallantly put on their arms were often un-pretty and often had a price, but I wasn't in the mood. I just imagined what these men would all look like in twenty years; sitting at the same table, balding, with their Nigerians wives waiting at home in the house that they bought for them, wondering how a 2-year post turned into a twenty year marriage with children. The real Africa Magic isn't on Dstv, it is in some obscure village sitting in a pot.
My starter arrived and caught me in the middle of that thought, the waiter paused to see what had me so amused, I waved him on. I was caught in my own mind; the soup was served in a very large metal pot that looked very Asian. I served myself and with the thought of the Brits being colonised in Nigeria, I took my first spoonful. It was complete sensory overload. Thai food has always been a bit of a funny one to me, the mix of herbs and plants that have little in common has always given me pause, but good cuisine is nothing if not experimental.
But Thai Food is complete sensory overload especially the soups; you never know which herb you are smelling and which you are tasting at the same time, it is like having a traffic light in your mouth with all lights giving instructions all at once; red, yellow and green all at once. The predominant herbs and ingredients were lemon-grass coconut, chicken and a kaleidoscope of other herbs and spices that I couldn't possibly place. Lemon-grass is such a potent ingredient with such a strong smell, you don’t understand when you are tasting or when you are smelling it, despite this I kept at it till I had thoroughly tried to guess everything in the soup and failed. In retrospect it was an interesting culinary experiment and I enjoyed it. The main course arrived before I finished the starter.
I swiftly moved onto the main dish and I cannot remember having stir fried beef as well as this, and I have had my fair share of oriental food. The beef was tender and dissolved as soon as it hit the tongue, it was coated in a thick soy-based paste, and there was no experiment about it. The dish was a master-class, I didn't need to understand what went where, or what was in it, I simply understood that it was something that I needed to keep eating. I would put a spoon of rice and beef in my mouth and wait for the moment it would hit me, when it would engage me. It was almost instant, I would smell the food before I would even taste it, like my nose was giving my tongue expo on what to expect. I almost willed myself not to swallow the food, not wanting to let the moment pass.
At the time it did register that the food tasted more Chinese than Thai, but who was to judge and quite frankly who cared. It was labour, it was a matter of putting enough of the food in the space that I was forcing my brain to create in my stomach; it was a fool’s errand.
Sensing my dilemma, my efficient waiter stepped up and asked if I might enjoy taking it away, I must have nodded in the affirmative because he whisked the food away and presented it a short time later. The final bill was settled at N 10,000.00 and I was on my way.
I got to the car and noticed that it had been washed and polished, I smiled and tipped the dutiful security men who had made this happen, I thought about the quit notice still at the entrance of my launderers, I wondered if they would have done my laundry while I ate, but as soon as I cleared the speed bumps I was off into the Abuja Night. Another Consummate Experience complete.
Sawadee Oriental Cuisine is located at No 43/45 Kumasi Crescent ,off Aminu Kano Crescent ,Wuse II Abuja, Nigeria and can be reached on +234 813 903 1019 or +234 9 291 1286.
