What is the maximum amount you can spend on a samosa? What about a plate of ugali? For most Kenyans, the price of a samosa ranges from Ksh10 to Ksh40 (street price value) while a plate of ugali with their favourite meat stew can cost an average of Ksh500.
However, a visit to Alkebulan, a restaurant based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), for a samosa will set you back Ksh1,050 (35 AED).
According to the hotel's official site, the distinguished name, Alkebulan, means the Mother of Mankind- signifying the hotel's ambition to explore and offer different African cuisines.
The hotel is run by Cyprian Machangoh, a Kenyan who also doubles as the head chef.
Speaking to the media recently, chef Machangoh noted that the hotel is synonymous with various African flavours though at times they mix cuisines from overseas such as Asian food in order to fuse different cultures.
He added that the hotel is lauded for its meat in terms of texture and tenderness.
“The meat is highly praised in African households and is usually cooked for lactating mothers and elderly people because of its tenderness. We braise it for around six hours then pull it from the bones,” he told Business Daily.
In the case of oxtail fried rice, (used as a starter meal) the hotel imports rice from Egypt and mix it with Kenyan ingredients such as peas. This is then added to Asian soy sauce and chilli and curry powder for flavour.
Generally, the prices for meals range from Ksh1,500 (50 AED) to Ksh3,090 (100 AED). Side dishes such as sweet potato fries go for an average of Ksh900 (30 AED).
A plate of ugali served with goat ribs go for Ksh2,460 (82 AED). A distinct feature of the restaurant is that a shisha menu is placed at the entrance - with different prices ranging from Ksh2,260 (70 dirhams) to Ksh3,229 (100 dirhams) depending on the flavours.
The hotel consists of nine kitchens serving cuisines from various parts of Africa.
"All nine restaurants are a representation of Africa. We have one restaurant that has African street food like mutura, samosa, tamiya from Egypt, manisha from South Africa and Kampala’s rolex, which is eggs wrapped in chapati," he noted.
The hotel stood out during the Dubai Expo 2020, where distinguished guests and dignitaries thronged the establishment for a wide variety of delicacies.
According to Machangoh, the hotel is slated to open branches in New York and the United Kingdom in order to set its foot in the market overseas.
