AMAZONIA RESTAURANT

Amazonia Restaurant is Abuja’s first rainforest restaurant. My friend and I decided to check it out over the weekend and we both agree Amazonia is ready to take over fine dining in Abuja. This is the second restaurant I’ve visited this year with no complaints at all; the first was Brook Lounge.

I really love the fact that the new restaurants springing up in the city are offering experiential dining that allows us to teleport to other countries just like the cave restaurant that gave us a taste of Turkey.

LOCATION

Inside the Art Tech District, 7 Hombari street, Wuse 2, Abuja. For now, entry is strictly by reservations so ensure you call before visiting.

AMBIENCE

The ambience here is nothing like I’ve seen before and I could tell a lot of thought went into the details of the interior decor. Covered with faux tree branches and lots of greenery, the ceiling is one of the most delightful features of the restaurant. The tree-like pillars strategically placed reinforced the forest theme and if you love the sound of rain, you’d appreciate the glass wall fountain. In addition, there is a different section that offers an enchanting dining experience with an almost 360° screen displaying birds and Cheetahs in a forest.

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I loved how the sitting arrangement gave enough room for easy movement and the plants placed in between tables gave a sense of privacy. Using Elephant trunks as lamp holders was another interesting detail I noticed as well as the screen on all the tables with colourful plant detailing around them. To be honest, I believe you’d appreciate all of this better when you watch the video.

FOOD

We had:

• Salmon – ₦5,500
• Empanadas – ₦7,500
• Short Ribs with Thai Dragon Fried Rice – ₦9,000
• Lamb Leg Roast with Mashed Potatoes- ₦13,000
• Coco Candy – ₦3,200
• Strawberry Banana Margarita – ₦4,700
• Pineapple Daiquiri – ₦4,500
• Water – ₦1,000

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For starters, we had Empanadas and Salmon. I didn’t like the Salmon at first but tasting another piece of it with a good quantity of the mushroom soup it was served with literally elevated the taste of the Salmon. The Empanadas was a kind of pie with chicken and beef filling served on a bed of guacamole and some tasty tomato salsa. I didn’t like this very much because there was something off about the oil used.

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The Thai Dragon Fried Rice was my absolute favourite because it was very flavourful and had a bit of heat that I really loved. This is a side dish and I paired mine with well done, soft and boneless short ribs. The lamb leg roast was very tender and juicy and pairing it with the mashed potatoes was just perfect. There were no desserts so we opted for extra drinks instead.

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I enjoyed the strawberry banana daiquiri because I love sweet cocktails, however, I didn’t enjoy the coco candy so much. It tasted like diluted milk (read breast milk) which was quite underwhelming because I only ordered it after I saw them serving someone else and I thought it would taste great.

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SERVICE

I must say they exceeded my expectations because some of these themed restaurants tend to pay more attention to aesthetics than food and service, however, it was the complete opposite here. We received a warm welcome from the staff, our food didn’t take too long and tasted really good.

Overall I’d give them a 4.5-star rating and I will definitely visit again.

Socials

For opening hours, reservations and other information about Amazonia restaurant, check out their Instagram page.