Kilimandjaro Restaurant

What we ate:

Jack - Chicken w/Special African Sauce and Couscous

Nate - Chicken Dibi

Alec - Beef Skewers and Plantains 

After discovering that our desired restaurant Taconelli’s was completely booked, we searched the Internet for some suggestions.  The restaurant we ended up visiting received high ratings and one reviewer felt the need to describe the restaurant and it’s meals with deceiving advertisement such as “Do not come here…unless you want a killer meal,” or “Whatever you do NEVER order the fish…unless you want a fantastic seafood experience.” This restaurant was called Kilimandjaro.  We headed to West Philadelphia with almost no expectations, and our caretakers’ child.  Entering the unsuspecting building, I realized immediately how it felt to be a minority.  English was not the most spoken language and Caucasian diners seemed to be a rarity although there was another party there by the time we arrived.  The food was seasoned incredibly and probably marinated for many hours, and it was quite aromatic.  My chicken fell off the bone and was succulent and slightly spicy.  The side order of couscous I received was sweet and warm.  Everyone enjoyed their food, but this restaurant was an experience that in many ways has nothing to do with what we ate.  Besides the lack of English, the parking lot and surrounding area were filled with large vans decorated with spray paint.  Halfway through our dinner, we noticed two men carrying what appeared to be an extremely heavy garbage bag to the back of the cooking area.  The iced tea was disgustingly sweet and Alec’s hibiscus juice was like fresh prune nectar that I hope to never taste again.  To all of us, every African song playing in the background sounded almost identical. Overall, the experience outweighed the taste, but the chicken was pretty darn good.

-Nate

Immediately after entering the premises, I could tell that we may have made a mistake. Kilimandjaro, our backup restaurant, sported bright red walls and questionably healthy conditions. My first impression was confirmed when we unwrapped our silverware to find no matching forks, and two of us got spoons while the others got butter knives. Our friend Jimmy and I ordered the iced tea while Alec got the Hibiscus juice. Both obliterated my mouth with sweetness. I decided to order the chicken with “special African sauce” and just hoped to avoid the food poisoning. When it arrived, I was pretty surprised to dig into some pretty delicious chicken breast. I got nearly half of a chicken (wings and drums included), and happily gorged on the well-marinated meat. It was definitely the best chicken with African sauce I’ve come across. The couscous on the side was fairly sweet as well, but all in all it was the atmosphere of the restaurant that gave the trip some redemption. This was my first experience with good African cuisine and I’d be open to trying some more.

-Jack