When we were looking for somewhere to have dinner in Victoria Falls Town, one name came up time and again – the Dusty Road Township Experience.
Described as a Zimbabwean cultural experience, the restaurant was opened in 2019 by Sarah Lilford, a fourth generation Zimbabwean, and offers diners a set tasting menu of traditional Zimbabwean dishes for US$35. Lunch is also available for US$24 a head.
Our dinner started with shots of three welcome drinks – a tamarind, munyii berry and rosella iced tea (below); utshwala, a type of local beer; and maheu, a maize-based energy drink.
The drinks proved to be a precursor for what was to come – a series of unusual flavours and textures, some to my liking, others less so.
The berry iced tea was lovely and I could happily have drunk a whole glass of it. The local beer was okay, but the maize energy drink wasn’t my cup of tea and I was relieved I only had a shot of it.
After our welcome drinks, we were given a short tour of the small, vibrant and relaxed restaurant.
One of the things I most liked about the restaurant was the way they’d turned everyday objects into furniture and tableware.
The glasses, for example, were made out of old wine bottles, while old pairs of wellies had been turned into vases.
After our tour, we sat down for dinner and our first course soon arrived (above).
The sharing platter featured deep fried kapenta (a type of fish, very moreish); crispy sadza balls; sweetcorn fritters; maize bread; a sundried tomato, wild basil and peanut dip (delicious); nyimo and nyemba bean hummus; and peanuts.
Some of the flavours were unlike anything I’ve ever tasted, but I enjoyed it all.
To go with my meal, I’d ordered a cocktail, a madonkini fizz, which turned out to be a refreshing mix of ginger, baobab and vodka (above).
For our main, there was a buffet of local dishes to choose from.
I had a little bit of everything and I’m glad I did. I got to try lots of different flavours and my favourite parts of the meal turned out to be things I wouldn’t ordinarily choose.
My plate was filled with beef stew, chicken in a peanut sauce, battered bream with lemon and chive butter, a mopane worm, as well as various vegetable sides, sauces and carbs.
The tender, braised beef rib was utterly delicious and fell off the bone. I don’t usually like beef and would never order it in a restaurant, but this was the best beef I’ve ever eaten and I could have wolfed down a plateful of it. It was superb.
The bream was also really tasty. I was less enamoured by the chicken, which was a little bland for my tastes (I was expecting something akin to chicken satay and it wasn’t like that at all).
As for the sides, I loved the mash with pumpkin, the sweet beans, the pickled cucumber, chickpea salad and chomolia (a leafy green, similar to kale).
But I didn’t enjoy the traditional maize porridge, which was very thick, and the mopane worm was just a bit weird.
For dessert, we had another sharing platter (above). Dessert comprised chocolate mongongo nut balls, a tart made with hacha and marula nuts, and a baobab mousse with masau and munyii berry sauce.
The nut tartlets were scrumptious and unexpectedly savory. The mousse with the berry sauce had a great taste, although it was a little grainy. But I wasn’t a huge fan of the chocolate balls, which were a little too dense for my liking.
We finished our meal with a large pot of berry tea served with township cookies.
The tea had an interesting flavour and I needed to add quite a lot of honey to it. The oatty cookies were fab and reminded me of a rustic hobnob biscuit.
Midway through our meal, a group of school children came in and sang three songs for us. Sarah, the restaurant’s owner, pays for the children’s schooling and the children sing at the restaurant with their parents’ permission.
The restaurant also has a small shop, which sells the restaurant’s cookbook, along with nick-nacks such as kitchenware, sandals and magnets.
I really enjoyed our evening at the Dusty Road Township Experience and can see why it’s so highly recommended.
It has a great atmosphere, the waiting staff are friendly and I enjoyed having an opportunity to try so many unusual foods, even if they weren’t all to my taste!
It was a unique and memorable experience, and well worth a visit.
