Simba's Grill Ltd - Vancouver

A taste of Africa that hits the spot!<br/ <br/ Truly a unique place for aromatic dishes. <br/ <br/ We stopped by on a Friday night, no need for any reservations as they welcome walk ins. <br/ The smell of the food going to surrounding tables stimulates the senses in preparation of what to expect.<br/ <br/ We ordered the chef’s special which was served on a huge platter with grilled chicken tenders, 2 beef skewers, 2 lamb skinless sausages, 2 fried fish, spinach curry sides including saffron rice, salad freshly grilled naan. <br/ <br/ The spinach curry was delicious not what you expect. It’s not covered in sauce but rather sautéed in a curry. Cooked very well goes extremely well with the naan. <br/ Another highlight was the crispy fried fish. Packed full of flavour, like a sweet salty taste. <br/ <br/ My recommendations- spinach curry with naan fried fish. Will definitely be back to taste more of the menu!

I don't know how this places stays in business except that the desire for authentic African cuisine must be so great and the selection in the city so sparse that people are willing to put up with this place. From the food service and handling, service time and food quality, unfortunately this restaurant failed on all counts. Food was dry, over cooked, gratuitously spicy and lacked depth of flavor that I know African cuisine has.

The curries at this restaurant are delicious and the authentic chai is hot. As East Africans, we found the food to be reminiscent of a home-cooked meal. I ordered the Chicken Surwa and paired it with rice, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Overall, it was a great experience. Keep in mind that they require proof of vaccination if you plan on dining in, so make sure to bring it with you.

My friend and I were unsure of what to order, so the waiter recommended the chef's platter (Mchaguzi wa Chef). This platter included samaki bites (fried tilapia), kuku choma (BBQ marinated chicken), kebabs (minced lamb), and mishkaki (beef skewers), along with rice, salad, naan, and spinach machica (mashed spinach cooked in curry sauce). There were also small containers of yogurt, tamarind sauce, and shredded coconut on the side. The food was tasty, although my friend suspected that the deep fried tilapia was frozen supermarket variety. In addition to the delicious food, the restaurant also offered Tusker beer from Kenya, which was a unique and interesting drink to try. The food was a bit on the pricier side, but overall my friend and I left satisfied. While I may not eat here regularly, I wouldn't mind coming back for the delicious food.

We decided to give Simba 's Grill a try. They 're a family run restaurant specializing in East African fusion cuisine. Slightly in an odd location but next door to a Starbucks. We dropped in on a Friday evening at 8:00pm). The inside is spacious and the tables are well spread out. Our waiter was one of the chef/owners, who is one of those individuals that goes out and chats/sits down with customers. The menu consists of appetizers, chef 's specials no daily special available when we inquired), entrees meat, rice, vegetarian, curry) and desserts. Entrees range from $15.00 to $30.00. Chutneys yogurt, coconut, tamarind, hot sauce and mango. We were originally given a second hot sauce but the owner came by our table, told us it was too spicy and took it away. Strange. We didn 't get to taste that one but the mango chutney was fantastic a punch in the face, with a slightly mango note at the end). Rice $5.00) good enough to compliment our two other entrees. Naan $3.00) plain and a touch dense. Kuku choma $20.00) decent char on the chicken, but slightly overcooked and dry. Needed the sauces and chutneys to give it some flavour. Paka $18.00) tilapia was overcooked. Curry was very light in flavour. Wouldn 't get this again. Machicha masala $18.00) best dish of the night. 5 good sized prawns that were cooked perfectly. Spinach was a touch bland but liked that it was hearty and chunky. Not many African places in town. An okay first meal at SG.