JIKO - Dinner
We love this restaurant. Been there before, it had to go on our list for this year as well. The resort itself is beautiful, so it's no wonder that Jiko has a really great ambiance to it. We sat near the color changing wall. The gentleman who seated us told us that its meant to mimic an African sunset as it slowly changes colors.
Let me back up...we got to our reservation early (and you will notice that this is a recurring trend for us), so we stopped at the bar upstairs that looks down over Boma for a few before dinner drinks.
I had the
Piña Colava which is made from Bacardi Razz, Piña Colada mix and raspberry puree.
I'd had this last year and loved it. This year it was good, but it was a little meltier (yes, meltier) than it is supposed to be. It was still delicious and I recommend it 
Adam chose the
Antioxidant Cocktail which is basically vodka, chambord, açai and lychee juice.
The server mentioned to me beforehand that this cocktail was a mere three days old, and a few of the people who she'd served it to had complained it was too sweet. I decided that I wanted something sweet, and I was hoping the tannin of the açai would cut the excess impurity of the Finlandia (a vodka I wouldn't normally drink), but unfortunately it failed on both counts. Not only was it not sweet at all, but the mediocre vodka overpowered any flavor the fruit might have given it. I couldn't taste the Chambord at all, and I likened the drink at the time to "spiked raspberry kool-aid." I should've gone with the Asian Pear Martini.
We were then seated in the upper level of Jiko by the color changing wall. Our server's name was Omar. Omar was the beginning of a trend that we would experience at restaurants. Since we were only 2 people at a table, we were usually ignored by servers because they were more concerned with large parties or people who were heavy drinkers ($$$).
For our appetizers, I chose the
Barbecued Chicken Flatbread. Its decently sized - could be shared by 2 people - and consists of BBQ chicken, four cheeses, julienne green apple and onions.
Price - $10.00
As you can see from the picture, I got mine with no onions...not a huge onion fan. The apple pieces were tart and played off the sweetness of the BBQ very well. The crust was nicely crisp. The ONLY thing I didn't like was the fact that some of the chicken pieces were very chewy (I think these were ligament pieces?).
Adam's appetizer was the
Pokanoket Farm Seared Ostrich Filet. The filet strips are served over creamy vidalia onion puree with rocket cream and spiced cherries.
Price - $13.00
I thought this dish was very good. The ostrich was cooked perfectly rare and had a wonderful coffee and spice crusting that blended seamlessly with the meat. The only drawback was the puree underneath, which seemed slightly muddled and didn't seem to add much to the flavor of the bird. I left most of mine on the plate. The filet itself was pretty small (about 5-6 bites), but for a course like this, I found that to be more of a positive. All in all, a very nice starter that left me pretty excited for the main course.
Portland Pier Scallops was the entree that I chose. The accompaniments were pea and sweet corn succotash, pesto puree and a "fish cake" (which wasn't listed on the menu).
Price - $31.00
I love scallops. These were very succulent and I thought the pesto sauce was great. Not a fan of peas, but liked the veggies it came with. The only thing that seemed out of place was the fish cake. It wasn't listed on the menu, so Adam and I didn't know what it was. Even after tasting it, it didn't even quite taste like...anything. It looks like a crab cake from the outside but on the inside it looked like potatos 
Oh well, still loved the dish.
Adam decided upon the
Kenyan Coffee BBQ-Braised Beef Short Rib. It's served with cheesy crushed potatoes.
Price - $35.00
I could smell this baby the second it hit the table, and I knew I had make the right choice. The meat was so tender that you could've eaten it with a spoon--the first thing I did was pull the bone out with my fingers, and it came out totally clean. The highlight though, is the great sauce it was smothered in. Similar to the sauce on the flatbread, it was the perfect barbecue combination, neither too sweet nor the least bit ketchupy, it gave off this great roasted coffee aroma that made my mouth water. The potatoes were great as well, flavored with some cheese and rosemary that made them irresistable. I was glad I ordered the light starter, because this dish was huge and I refused to let any of it go to waste. 7 days and numerous great meals later and this was still the best single dish of the trip.
I was getting full but there's always room for dessert
. I had the
House-made Lemon Curd served with pomegranate and blueberry compote, sour cream ice cream and a white chocolate biscotti.
Price - $8.00
My big thing this trip was to try and not repeat what I eat. Like, not eating crab cake as an appetizer every meal and no chocolate cake for every dessert. I chose the lemon curd because I love pomegrante. Thought it was very good. The ice cream was great with the compote. Not a big biscotti fan, so... Adam thought my dessert was average. I will say that the picture makes it look phallic 
For dessert, Adam had the
Jiko Cheese Selection. Here are the cheeses:
Gratte Paille from France (Cow's milk cheese) - soft cheese, mushroom flavor
Purple Haze from the US (Goat's milk cheese) - flavored with fennel pollen and lavender
Torta del Cesar from Spain (Sheep's milk cheese) - creamy, spreadable, smoky flavor
Cravot from Italy (Goat's milk cheese) - aged, brown crust
Brebicet from France (Sheep's milk cheese) - smooth and creamy
The accompaniments were crostinis, fruit jam and miniature red grapes.
The cheeses themselves were all fairly similar, the only true standouts being the Purple Haze (a classic chevre) and the Cravot, which was the only cheese with a little bit of firmness to it. The accompanying fig toast was very nice but slightly greasy, but that was offset by the very nice blackberry jam that complemented all the cheeses nicely. The highlight for me was the mini grapes, which were just simply fun to eat.
Decor - 8/10
Service - 7/10
Food - 9/10
There is nowhere in town I can get dim sum anymore and I miss it soooo much.
