WHAT'S COOKING IN KIGALI

No longer just the gateway for gorilla trekkers, Rwanda's capital is fast becoming a hub of pan-African and global flavors

- SARAH KHAN

THE MENU AT Meza Malonga, a chic fine-dining spot in the Rwandan capital of Kigali, doubles as a geography syllabus. “The philosophy is about promoting African ingredients,” says chef Dieuveil Malonga as he presents a jar of Ivorian button mushrooms alongside a hibiscus-and-beetroot-dusted beef tartare. A Burundian tree-tomato sorbet, obscured under cascades of dry ice, has a whiff of Egyptian black lemon. “Today we are receiving people from different places around the globe to learn and discover the African flavor,” he says. By the end of nine courses, the palate has mapped the continent.

Born in Congo and raised in Germany and France, Malonga journeyed through 46 of Africa’s 54 countries on research trips before opening Meza Malonga in Kigali in 2020. In May he’ll open his second location, two hours away on a farm in Musanze, with a spice museum, a food lab, and a school in addition to a restaurant. “There’s a food revolution happening in Rwanda,” he says.