The best food offerings

FOOD & DRINKS
I. Cheap eats (< 1.000F)
1. Salad row in the marché (am/pm; time depends on people):
a. you can get not only salads but pâte, fufu, rice, colico, and beans & gari; prices generally start at 50 or 100F (they will turn up their nose at us country bumpkins who ask for 25F du riz).
b. pamplemousse/ citron juice (grapefruit/ lemon): ea half of the pamplemousse or whole citron = 50F; you can get it made w/ your own water or ask for “pure water” (25F); ask them not to put in ice if you don’t want it.
2. Woman at the Fanmilk intersection (morning – noon): colico, rice & sauce, maca (what we call spaghetti), boiled eggs, fried turkey butt, fried plantains; rice w/ maca and an egg is my favorite. You can eat there or take it to a bar.
3. Omlette man 1: located across from the Fanmilk store; I don’t know what the hours are, but I did buy omlette sandwiches one Sunday am. Omlette guys always offer “thé” as well (Nescafé, Milo, Lipton tea).
4. Omlette man 2: near Cifaid on the paved road going toward the center of the marché; fantastic omlette sandwiches (not too much oil and he grills the bread).
5. Bar Panana: brochettes, rice, pâte, etc. in front of and next to the bar.
II. Mid-price (1.000 – 3.000F)
1. Kfête: the cafeteria connected to Bel Air offers omlettes (plain or as a sandwich), fries, couscous with a tomato-meat sauce, spaghetti (same sauce), chicken, etc.; they also have lait caillé (yogurt) either “sucré”, sugared w/ sweetened-condensed milk, or “non sucré”, sweetened with sugar. Can get Café Kuma. NB: they have a bathroom in the courtyard behind Bel Air; ask for the key from the cafeteria cooks. Bring you own tp.
2. “Sodabi Bar” cafeteria: I don’t know its name; I call it Sodabi Bar b/c that’s where we always go to drink sodabi. I’ve not been there since it opened, but I hear that it’s great. Plus the woman (she’s French) has a blender! Located across from Hôtel Cristal.
3. Bar Robinet II: located on the route from Adéta just before you get to the Texaco rond point. Not recommended; last time I ate there was during stage (2001) and they took FOREVER cooking. Probably had to go out and buy the ingredients…
4. Restaurant Au Fermier: pros = they serve ice cream; cons = they’re so far from the center of Kpalimé; located on the route to the mtns at least a 20min walk. The only think I’ve ever eaten is omlette & fries (yes ketchup) and it was same price as Kfête.
III. Expensive (3.000F+)
1. Resto @ Hôtel Cristal: typical Togolese restaurant fare w/ salads, beef stroganoff, spaghetti boulognaise, fries (yes ketchup), etc. Drinks are expensive, including bottled water; you can ask for eau de table. Can get ice cream.
2. Resto @ Hôtel Geyser: a little more interesting than Cristal, they offer Greek salad (w/ goat cheese), macaroni and cheese w/ ham (lard in French), grilled chicken sandwich and a POOL (extra 1.000F).
3. Chez Fanny: located on the route south toward Lomé, across from 30 Août. Fantastic food! It’s been a while, but I had the curry shrimp once (creamy version), and it was heaven. They also have really good hot chocolate.
4. Makuma: located next to CRETFP (the technical CEG and Lycée in Quartier Nyvémé), in same area as Geyser. Actually, is located somewhat near Jean-Marc’s house (the GEE PCV in Kpalimé). They serve mostly Togolese foods like pâte, pâte rouge (tomato sauce mixed in, making it less of a sticky mass), fried/baked whole fish w/ rice, fufu, fries (no ketchup), etc. Arrive before you’re hungry (esp. in a large group) b/c they take FOREVER—perhaps b/c they cook on charbon foyers (charcoal cookstove).
5. Maison Petite Suisse: located on route to mtns, just before some school (on left); about a 10 min walk from marché. Owned by Swiss man and his Togolese wife. Bloody steak, hash browns (rösti) and runny eggs cooked in butter (better be sure to mention you want butter, though, b/c last time they used margarine), sangria w/ real fruit, Baileys, etc. Eat up on roof under paillote or inside w/ satellite tv (rainy days).
6. Resto Palais Royal: located near the Texaco rond point on road to Cristal. Lebanese food; can get better in Lomé. Hummus, schwarma, chicken sandwich, fries (yes ketchup). Arrive before you’re hungry.
IV. Bars
1. Bel Air: best location w/ the cafeteria and street food; has a toilet.
2. La Case: across street from Bel Air; sell fufu, too.
3. Afro Bar: located on the route from Adéta (orange and black décor); hotspot at night (mostly Saturdays); has 2 toilets
4. Bar Robinet II: we used to have fun scoping out the men passing by (we were an all-estrogen stage); never go there anymore.
5. “Sodabi Bar”: good bar to go to for the “after party”; can ask guy in the music kiosk to play songs (can even bring your own cds to be played).
6. Hard Rock Café: after Maison Petite Suisse; not really a Hard Rock Café.
7. Panana: on corner of N-S road and the road leading to Cristal; next to Afro Bar.
V. Terminology: only b/c most everything concerning ordering that I learned in school has a whole other name here in Togo.
1. Entrée = main dish; always comes with your choice of garniture; sandwiches, however do not generally count as an entrée and you have to pay for the garniture.
2. Garniture = side dish; most restos will let you split the garniture to get ½ pommes frites ½ haricots verts, par exemple.
3. Eau de table = refrigerated tap water; free; although tap water in Kpalimé is treated, newbies might prefer attendre un peu.
4. Adition = check (whereas “facture” is a receipt from a boutique).