After getting drenched in a torrential downpour at AK, we returned to the hotel to dry off and get cleaned up for dinner at Jiko.
This would be my, as well as Caitlin and Jun's, first time so I was excited since I have heard so many good things about it.
We checked in a bit earlier and I was quite upset to hear they could not find a record of my ADR. When they said that I got very worried but they quickly added it wasn't important, they were not busy and could fit us in shortly. Phew!
We were seated about 5 minutes later. At one of the booths near the counter by the wood-fired ovens. I thought it was a great location as we were able to watch the chefs preparing some of the appetizers (and smell them!).
Our server Lucius greeted us promptly and told us were in for a treat that evening. After he fetched our drinks, we decided to split two appetizers among the three of us.
I had taken the Jiko Culinary tour on a previous trip where they provided a sample of the Taste Of Africa, which is three breads and three dips. It was really good so I pushed for that as one our selections and Caitlin and Jun agreed with me.
Taste of Africa - Naan, Papadum, and Another Pita-Like Bread. The only dip I can remember is the one on the right - Kalamata Olive Hummus. The green was some sort of spicy herb pesto...maybe cilantro? The red dip was a spicy chile paste of sorts.
All the breads and dips were great, my favorite bread was without a doubt the Naan. It was soft, light, warm, and salty but not overly so. They bake them in the wood-fired ovens and you can really taste a huge difference. I am undecided on my favorite dip - they are all equally yummy!
For our other appetizer, we went with the
BBQ Chicken Flatbread with apple-jicama slaw, African BBQ sauce, and four cheeses.
This was another winner from the wood-fired ovens. The tang of the sauce with the contrast of the sweet and crunchy apple-jicama slaw, over gooey, melty cheeses hit it out of the park for me.
After our appetizers and shortly before our entrees arrived, Lucius brought out the standard
Jiko Bread with Tandoori Butter:
The bread was a very fluffy wheaten foccacia-type. It was just ok to me. I like tandoori spices, but I did not care for them in butter. I was glad we had our Taste of Africa breads earlier and didn't eat more than a couple of bites of this bread.
For entrees, Jun went with the
Roasted Lamb Loin with herbed couscous, sun-dried cherries, and red curry sauce:
Jun ordered it rare, and it came out cooked perfectly to his liking (ok maybe not quite, he's Japanese so he prefers things still moving!
). Anywho, he ordered it rare and it came out by the American standard of rare, just as he had ordered it.
I tasted it but don't really remember much about it. Jun loved it and gobbled it down.
Caitlin went for the vegetarian entree, a
Seared Maize Pudding with chakalaka and basil buerre blanc.
This was AMAZING! In Caitlin's words, it was 'light as a cloud'. It was a square of shockingly airy corn pudding, finished by searing to give a bit of a crust. It was so smooth and light, not at all something I would expect in a corn base dish. The chakalaka was a delicious mix of spicy vegetables that paired perfectly with the maize pudding. Add in the basil beurre blanc and this was just a winner all the way around.
I applaud Caitlin for ordering this because it sounded a little boring on the menu, but man did she do a good job picking it out! It suprised me that she ordered this because this is a girl who adores meat, so I would think in a nice restaurant she'd want to have some!
I went for what was listed as an appetizer dish for my entree:
Seared Ostrich Filet with kamut, mushrooms, and truffle vinaigrette.
Another hit from Jiko for us! The Ostrich was sooo tender and delcious. It tastes very similar to beef, but more....irony and gamey. That sounds like a bad thing, but trust me, it wasn't. The Kamut is an African grain that tasted like a cross between barley and brown rice to me. I really liked it, especially with the truffle vinaigrette, which gave the dish an amazing earthy aroma (is there any other word to describe the smell of truffles besides earthy?).
As stuffed as we already were, we decided to soldier on and have dessert.
Before dessert, Caitlin and I shared the Loose Leaf Vanilla Rooibos Tea:
The teas are sold as a serving for once person, but there is enough for 2-3 cups so it's easy to share a pot.
The Vanilla Rooibos was described on the menu as 'Vanilla bean sweetens this Rooibos, producing a round, full cup which is ideal with a spot of milk'. It's even caffeine free!
Caitlin and I both thought it was a fantastic tea, especially with desserts. Rooibos is a medium-dark, somewhat full-bodied tea. The vanilla made it taste naturally sweet. I drank it plain, no milk or honey because I thought it was great as it was.
Jun chose the Pistachio Creme Brulee as his dessert:
It had a chocolate layered bottom! I tasted this and while I love Pistachio and creme brulee, I wasn't big on the marriage of the two. It was a very unique taste. Jun seemed to really like it though.
Caitlin went for the
Roasted Apple Tarte Tatin, which was the sugar-free option that evening.
The Tarte Tatin was served with vanilla sauce and cinnamon ice cream. I tasted this, and while I could find no fault with it, it just didn't do anything for me. I guess I usually prefer a more decadent dessert. Caitlin really enjoyed it though.
For my dessert, I chose the
Jiko Trio - Flourless Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Mousse, and Caramel Ice Cream.
Everything about my dessert was good, but for some reason it just didn't 'wow' me like the appetizers and entrees. It was a bit of a let-down at the end of the meal. Again, there was no fault in the dish...but it lacked that 'OMG' factor for me.
Lucius was a good server. He wasn't all the personable, but we were never wanting for anything and he fulfilled all our requests in a timely manner.
Lucius was right - we did have quite the treat that evening and I look forward to returning to Jiko!
A-
P.S. Don't fall too in love with most of the dishes I reviewed - Jiko just got a new chef so the menu has changed a lot. The only things we ate that are still on the menu are the Taste of Africa (now with 4 dips!), the Flatbread, and the tea.
This ravioli was out of this world good. Fresh, house made pasta around a creamy squash and goat cheese center, with all the lovely accompaniments...it was just perfect. It was savory, sweet, earthy, and substantial. Vegetarians can rejoice - no boring steamed veggie plate here!
I think the potato wrapping helped 'beef up' the fish so it wasn't lost in the powerful sauce. 
This was easily in the the top five desserts I've ever eaten. 
