Choose Kigali

Choose Kigali combines a serious restaurant with a contemporary art gallery in a large house on a hill in Kiyovu. It is the first venue of Ingagi Hospitality Group, set up by artist Emmanuel Nkuranga, who also co-founded Inema Arts Center, and his work features prominently on the walls. The New Times has described the space as a multi-floor open gallery with tiered gardens, and the gardens hold art installations of their own.

There are two main ways to eat. The Tasting Room serves an eight-course tasting menu that changes daily, can be adapted for dietary needs and is paired with wine and other drinks. La Terrace is the a la carte option for a less formal lunch or dinner. The venue also hosts multi-course omakase evenings and visiting international chefs, and a sommelier looks after the drinks.

The kitchen has been led by British chef Mark Lawton, who is classically French-trained and has worked at The Ritz and Claridge's in London. National Geographic Traveller highlighted dishes such as Kigali-reared longhorn beef cooked three ways and sashimi made with Lake Kivu fish and local pineapple, mango and passion fruit. Lawton has spoken of sourcing from local farmers and suppliers and of training young Rwandan chefs here.

This is one of the most expensive meals in Kigali, so it suits special occasions, couples and visitors who want to see where the city's dining scene is heading. Book ahead, particularly for the tasting menu, and mention any allergies when you reserve. Arrive early enough to walk through the gallery before you sit down; the rotating exhibitions are part of the experience rather than decoration.

Lawton has said he admires Rwandan home cooking such as isombe, made from pounded cassava leaves, and matooke with grilled chicken, and that he hopes to bring more local influences onto the menu over time. That makes the restaurant worth revisiting on a longer stay, as the daily-changing tasting menu is never quite the same twice.

The house also runs private events, from lunches for about ten people to receptions for around 200, so check that the restaurant is open to the public on the evening you want. Kiyovu is a quiet, leafy residential area a short ride from the city centre, in the same neighbourhood as Heaven Boutique Hotel, and the house looks out over the surrounding hills.