Remember back in the days when cooking required patience, skill, heat and salt? That is a thing of the past. Underneath all the flavorants, colorants, spices and fat one can barely taste the food. We yearn for days gone past when fruits and vegetable were grown in gardens and fields, unlike nowadays when they are grown in science labs.
It is that nostalgic sentiment of yester year, when cooking really meant something, that youthful couple Segomotso and Dintle Sambona is trying to bring at their new restaurant called “Sizzles” which operates from Extension 4 in Gaborone. This lunch time eatery prides itself with providing a feeling of home away from home for its customers.
On entering the restaurant, there is a strong cozy feeling. The restaurant was kept simple, with little of the over bearing retro decorations, artifacts and crafts which are common in most eateries. The table and serving arrangement is reminiscent of traditional ceremony set ups where people get their food and gather around in clusters to share a meal and a laugh. Segomotso pointed out that they have a large table for regulars who refer to themselves as the “Top Table.”
“They were our very first and at some point our only customers when we started,” said Segomotso.
Every bite of the food at Sizzles just screams nostalgia. The low fat, mildly salted food exudes so much natural flavor.
“I do all the cooking. I have been accredited as a chef and we are thinking of taking on another chef because the business is expanding,” she said.
She further revealed that they plan to go fully traditional and introduce a more Setswana cuisine.
“The feedback we are getting is that our customers are happy with our traditional cuisine. We depend a lot on feedback from our customers,” she said.
I tried the food out, and chose a plate of pap and a little bit of beef and chicken. Sorry, but I was spoilt for choice. The pap was expertly mixed and out of this world. For vegetables, I had fresh rape and butternut. But the highlight was the gravy, which really impressed me. It was nothing fancy, just the conventional onion and tomato, but it had my taste buds singing. Lunch is served in a marquee in winter and in an open space under gazebos and shades in summer. Sizzles operates weekdays at lunch time and they are available for outside catering on request.
