African restaurants in Singapore are unfortunately still few and far between, so the opening of Tamba – the new West African joint in Duxton Hill – is much deserving of celebration. The owner Kurt Wagner is also the man behind the popular Kafe Utu, Singapore’s first African café-restaurant. You can expect the same air of homecoming and warmth at Tamba, with interiors decked out in rustic decor and thoughtful details. But unlike Kafe Utu’s menu which takes inspiration from across the entire continent, Tamba shines the spotlight on West African food. Take your pick between Jollof rice with sofrito, sakura chicken and smoked pork belly; the Tapalapa bread with goat’s milk ricotta, smoked honey and bacon butter; or Suya – a grilled Angus tenderloin skewer with kachumbari and smoked kuli kuli.
The drinks menu is equally exciting, comprising 60 percent African spirits. Award-winning bartender Joma Rivera takes the stage here, shaking up imaginative cocktails like the savoury tomato-based Dry Boney, and the clarified milk cocktail Vita which features cacao butter and fat-washed Mhoba rum from South Africa.
