Dinning at the Kilimanjaro – Then and Now

I guess I should first clarify that this month’s review is not about meals served on Mount Kilimanjaro.  I could not be so cruel as to describe the repugnant gruel that is passed of as food to people climbing Africa’s highest peak.  First, you should remember that because of the altitude, most people would reach a state of regurgitation at the thought of food during the climb.  But climbers must eat to keep their strength and endure the cold temperatures and difficulty of climbing at altitude.  There was one climbing company that invited me to sample their mountain fare.  They showed me how it was prepared in their hotel’s kitchen and then packed in vacuum sealed bags and boiled and served on the climb.

All a great concept except that water does not boil at as high a temperature at altitude so the meals never properly cooked.

But as we said, this article is not about dining on the mountain but about dining at Dar es Salaam’s Kilimanjaro Hotel.  The Kilimanjaro Hotel was the first “world class” hotel in Tanzania’s commercial capital and leading port city.  It was built by the government in the 1970s, along with its Arusha counterpart the Mount Meru Hotel.  Run by the government for years, the hotel took on the efficiency and charm of a post office.  But for more than a decade, the Kilimanjaro was the only place to stay in Dar es Salaam that had a hint of air conditioning and beds sort of free from fleas. The one thing it had above all was a fantastic view.  Provided you bribed the receptionist at check-in and were on the port side of the hotel, you could sit in your room and watch the ships entering and leaving port and the continuous movement of the ferry.  And if that view was not enough, you could take the dodgy lift to the top floor and enter the summit restaurant.  This open air treasure provided an even more panoramic view of the port and bustling city. 

It was in this restaurant that I found the absolute best lobster thermidor ever cooked.  This was a meal that has haunted me for more than 15 years, as I have made it one of my life’s missions to find another great lobster thermidor.  I still wake up in the middle of the night, crying out for that lobster and the wonderful mushroom sauce with the perfect balance of wine and cheese.  I have searched from Maine to Cape Town, eating every lobster that came across my path, and still I search for the perfect thermidor.  Most recently it was at the Sea Cliff Hotel, right there in Dar es Salaam where this quest first started.  (The Sea Cliff has since burned down).  And the thermidor was a huge disappointment. 

The other memorable day at the “old Kilimanjaro” was a dinner where they decided to add some entertainment for the evening.  The entertainment was an elderly gentleman who played the piano.  Now, if you have ever gone into the basement of a church, you have probably come across a piano that was badly in need of tuning.  Picture that piano then sitting for years on the roof of a building next to a salt water seaport in a climate that featured 90% humidity and average daytime temperatures in the forties Celsius.

This piano was so badly out of tune that in the entire evening, I thought I recognized one song as being the Beatles “Eleanor Rigby” but later recanted that declaration as it began to sound more like the theme from a Bond movie.  The thing is, we could never really tell if it were a case of the piano just being out of tune or the pianist having less talent than some of the people that make it to the “American Idol” auditions.  I have always wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and blame the piano.

But enough of the “Wayback Machine” Mr. Peabody.  Let’s speed forward to the present Kilimanjaro Hotel.  After a number of investment attempts including a bid by Serena Hotels, the hotel was eventually sold by the government to an investment group who has brought in German hoteliers Kempinski to manage it.  After extensive renovation, the hotel oddly enough retained some if its original feel.  The seventies lettering on the marquee is the same and the interior of the hotel still has the same feeling to it.  However there are some important changes including a lobby extension where the city side entrance used to be.  Here is a café serving high priced coffee beverages and pastries.  And the other important difference is that the restaurant is no longer on the roof, but on the lobby level in a new section. 

This of course means that the spectacular view of the port is gone.  And then came the further disappointment to find that the restaurant was buffet.  Frequent readers of the Roving Reviewer will know that I prefer root canal surgery to buffets.  If I wanted to serve meals to myself, I would eat at home where I have a cook to serve them to me.

But this buffet has to take the award for the best buffet I have ever seen.  It has both an astonishing variety of food including hot and cold meat dishes, prawns, fish and other seafood.  It also features more than a dozen salads, and a massive dessert selection.

And the quality was equal to the quantity.  Everything was cooked to perfection.  The staff professional and helpful.  Just top notch.

Of course, there was no piano to entertain; only piped in music.  And I did not see any lobster thermidor on the menu.  But it was a good meal and comes highly recommended.