schiller-wine: Dining, Rallying, Pouring German Wine and Chilling in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa

Picture: Dining, Rallying, Pouring German Wine and Chilling in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa

We spent 2 weeks in Dakar/ Senegal to visit our daughter and her family. The visit was scheduled to coincide with the end of the 2019 Dakar Paris New Edition Rally (Interncontinental Rally 2019), in which our son-in-law Chris Tremann participated. We wanted to be there when he arrived in Dakar after 2 weeks on the road through Africa. He and his partner finished the rally successfully (6th place), but unfortunately, the rally was overshadowed by a serious accident during the last day of the rally in Dakar.

During our visit of Dakar, Annette and I organized a tasting of premium German wines at Africa Gourmet in the Ngor District in Dakar. Africa Gourmet specializes in French wine, ranging from an entry-level Guigal Rhône Valley wine for less than Euro 10 to an aged Château Mouton Rothschild Magnum at more than Euro 1000 per bottle. Senegal being an islamic country, the clients of Africa Gourmet are essentially expatriates. We were honored by the presence of the German Ambassador, Stephan Röken.

See: Pouring Premium German Wines at Africa Gourmet in Dakar/ Senegal, with Annette and Christian Schiller, West Africa/ Germany

During my 30 years career at the IMF, I visited Senegal several times. I got first in contact with Dakar in 1983/84, when I was the fiscal economist in the IMF team that handled the adjustment program with Liberia, which is also in West Africa. We used to fly Pan Am New York, Dakar, Robertsfield in Liberia. Following the Liberia assignment, I moved to the Côte d'Ivoire team and visited many times Abidjan, the capital of Côte d'Ivoire. At that time Abidjan was the leading city in West Africa, ahead of Dakar. But things have changed. Abidjan has fallen back although it is recovering under President Ouattara. Dakar can look back to a long period of political stability while Abidjan has suffered severely from the civil war that brought the country down.

Last time I visited my daughter and her family, I released three postings on schiller-wine, following the visit:

Wining, Dining and Chilling in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa
Schiller's Favorite Restaurants in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa

This time, I plan on doing the following postings:

Dining, Rallying, Pouring German Wine and Chilling in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa
Pouring Premium German Wines at Africa Gourmet in Dakar/ Senegal, with Annette and Christian Schiller, West Africa/ Germany
On the Way to Dakar: Stopping-over in Lisbon, Portugal
Update: Schiller's Favorite Restaurants in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa

Stopping-over in Lisbon

We took TAP Air Portugal from Frankfurt to Dakar.

Going there, we had a lay-over of 7 hours in Lisbon and used the time to tour Lisbon.

Coming back, we stayed over-night in Lisbon. Our stay there coincided with a #winelover dinner in Lisbon, which we attended. The #winelover community was on its way to Madera to celebrate the 7th anniversary there.

New Airport

We arrived after midnight at Dakar's new $600 million Aéroport International Blaise Diagne (AIBD)

Impressions seen through Christian Schiller's Camera

Dakar, Senegal, West Africa

Kate Thomas: With its hot sandy streets, whitewashed mosques and bright flashes of color, Dakar beats to a different drum than other West African capitals. Spread out over a rocky peninsula, the year-round breeze carries the complex sound of mbalax music and the smell of piping hot thieboudjenne, the national dish. As sunset falls, thousands of Dakarois head to the beaches for open-air workout sessions, while in the bustling Medina area, women fry fish and plantains by the roadside. Fishermen haul in their catch in the shadow of sleek shopping malls, while men dressed in silky boubous stop for prayers and hawkers sell peanuts and wood carvings on every corner. Dakar is a city of contrasts, of gentle breezes and loud chatter, of colonial architecture and construction sites.

At Villa Le Patio

We stayed with my daugher Dr. Cornelia Schiller Tremann and her family at their comfortable Villa Le Patio in Dakar, halfway between the Plateau District and the Ngor District.

Fruit-shopping around the Corner

Most of the fuit we got from a small vendor around the corner. Sometimes Viatrix and Ernst came along when I did the fruit shopping.

Viatrix and Ernst - School

Both of our Dakar grandchildren go to school in Dakar and we picked them up often.

At Hotel Chez Salim at Lac Rose

The visit of Senegal was scheduled to coincide with the end of the 2019 Dakar Paris New Edition Rally (Interncontinental 2019), in which our son-in-law Chris Tremann participated. We wanted to be there when he arrived in Dakar after 2 weeks on the road through Africa. He and his partner finished the rally successfully (6th place), but unfortunately, the rally was overshadowed by a serious accident during the last day of the rally in Dakar.

The tour ended at Lac Rose, about an hour north of Dakar by car. We stayed at Hotel Chez Salim.

Lac Rose and Salt

Lac Rose is separated only by some narrow dunes from the Atlantic Ocean and, as expected, its salt content is very high. Its salinity content compares to that of the Dead Sea. Its distinct pink colour is caused by the Dunaliella salina bacteria, which is attracted by the lake’s salt content. The bacteria produces a red pigment in order to absorb the sunlight, thus giving the lake its unique colour.

Vsiting the lake, you constantly see salt collectors working at the lake and the shores of Lac Rose are full of piles of collected salt. This salt is extracted by locals from the bottom of the lake using their hands, then placed into baskets it is transported to the shore where it is used mainly to preserve fish.

Lac Rose is not the only pink lake in the world. There are other lakes near Baku, Azerbaijan or in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, but they are either small or not natural.

Intercontinental Rally (Paris Dakar New Edition) 2019

The Paris Dakar Rally is an annual rally raid organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation. Initially, since the inception in 1978 the rally was from Paris, France, to Dakar, Senegal, but due to security threats in Mauritania, which led to the cancellation of the 2008 rally, races since 2009 have been held in South America.

The Intercontinental Rally keeps the original Paris Dakar race alive. Chris and his partner Bo started in Paris and went to Spain, where the Intercontinental Rally 2019 officially began. It ended at Lac Rose, as all the previous Paris Dakar Rallies.

The Cuisine of Senegal, West Africa

The cuisine of Senegal is a West African cuisine influenced by North African, French, and Portuguese cuisine and derives from the nation's many ethnic groups, the largest being the Wolof. Islam, which first penetrated the region in the 11th century, also plays a role in the cuisine. Senegal was a colony of France until 1960. Because Senegal borders the Atlantic Ocean, fish is very important in Senegalese cooking. Chicken, lamb, peas, eggs, and beef are also used, but pork is not due to the nation’s largely Muslim population. Peanuts, the primary crop of Senegal, as well as couscous, white rice, sweet potatoes, lentils, black-eyed peas and various vegetables, are also incorporated into many recipes. Meats and vegetables are typically stewed or marinated in herbs and spices, and then poured over rice or couscous, or eaten with bread.

Senegal's National Dish: Thieboudienne - Homemade, with Rice

Ratatouille - Homemade

A Quintessential American Wine in Senegal

Restaurant Visits

Following my previous trip to Dakar, Senegal, I summarized my impressions of the wine bar and restaurant scene of Dakar here:

Schiller's Favorite Restaurants in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa

I will update the list of favorite restaurants in due course and include the following restaurants while deleting others:

Hotel Sokhamon
Blvd Roosevelt at Ave Nelson Mandela

foodrepublic.com: Few other restaurants in Dakar rival the view of the one at Hotel Sokhamon. Perched high above the Atlantic Ocean, this open-air restaurant and hotel feel like a sculptor’s fever dream. The hotel’s sandstone sculptures, glazed floors in rich, earthy colors and gently curved surfaces lead to a breezy restaurant with an inviting bar and an infinity pool that looks like it's pouring into the ocean far below. The menu is primarily comprised of grilled fish and ceviches rounded out by traditional Senegalese favorites like yassa and maffe. Service can be slow, but you won’t mind lingering with a cool gin and tonic in hand at this hidden oasis on the edge of the sea. Rooms here are beautifully designed and make for a perfect refuge at the end of the meal.

Beluga Cevicheria
162, Rue Mousse Diop, Dakar

A new in-place in Dakar.

visitezlesenegal.com: Une immersion au Pérou dans un décor de loft new-yorkais, en plein centre-ville de Dakar. Un restaurant qui nous fait découvrir une gastronomie très peu voire méconnue des Sénégalais. Une table variée, mélange de cuisine péruvienne et asiatique, qui propose des woks, des fruits de mer revisités et de plats authentiques tels que le Céviche.

Lac Rose Palal Dakar
Zone Lac Rose

Beach restaurant at Lac Rose.

Le Trarza
Zone Lac Rose

Beach restaurant at Lac Rose. The Paris Dakar Rally always ended here.

Lonely Planet: A friendly, garden-filled oasis that backs right onto the lake, Le Trarza has a mix of rooms: the best are spacious bungalows with tall ceilings and private terraces. You can arrange pirogue trips on the lake and other excursions. The restaurant, set on stilts over the lake, is worth a visit even if you don't stay here.

Restaurant Farid
Rue Vincens

Best Middle-east restaurant in town.

senegal-online.com: S'il devait y avoir une ambassade de la cuisine Libanaise à Dakar, Le Farid restaurant serait bien en place.

Restaurant la Marée Chez Adji
Pointe des Almadies

Dakareats.com: Nearly every guidebook and travel website for Senegal recommends La Marée, a seafood gem tucked at the far point of Les Almadies. And they all say basically the same thing:

“Popular with locals and tourists alike. Simple, fresh seafood dishes at a good price. Amazing ocean view. Go at sunset and split a platter of coques with friends.”

Those guidebooks and websites are absolutely right. La Marée deserves every bit of its don’t-miss-this reputation. Seafood lovers and adventurous eaters will go bonkers over their menu, which is very reasonably priced, but there are also plenty of old favorites for those who just want the Senegal version of fish (or grilled chicken) and chips.

To find La Marée, go to the Pointe des Almadies and look for the blue crêperie. Just to its left is a paved walkway leading between grills and shops all the way to the ocean. When you get to the end of the walkway, look left. Boom.

Chez Siny
Pointe des Almadies

Wonderful, simple beach restaurant next to Restaurant la Marée Chez Adji.

Restaurant Le Phare Chez Aby
Pointe des Almadies

Wonderful, simple, inexpensive beach restaurant next to Restaurant la Marée Chez Adji. Only one dish every day.

Pointe des Almadies is the westernmost point on the continent of Africa. Pointe des Almadies is located on the north-western end of the Cap Vert peninsula in Senegal. The American Embassy is there.

Chez Fatou
Corniche des Almadies - Rte de Ngor

visitezlafrique.com: A Dakar, les bonnes adresses pour se restaurer sont nombreuses. En voici une de plus ! En séjour dans la capitale sénégalaise cet hiver, j’ai eu le plaisir de découvrir « Chez Fatou », le tout nouveau resto super branché. C’est pour le petit-déjeuner que je m’y suis rendue un dimanche matin. Ce restaurant se trouve sur la Corniche et les connaisseurs savent que tout spot qui se trouve sur la Corniche est plutôt bien situé. L’endroit a récemment été rénové après un changement de propriétaire.

La Cabane de Surfeur
Route des Almadies

Recently renovated beach-restaurant.

Estandera
Route des Almadies

Right next to La Cabane de Surfeur. Italian. More basic.

Bella Vista Ristorante del Gusto
Plage de Mamelle

Italian/ Sardinien beach restaurant.

Chez Djiby Téranga
Plage des Mamelles

Right next to Bella Vista Ristorante del Gusto. Considerably more basic. Very good.

Art Gallery Visits

One morning, Cornelia took us on a tour of art galleries.

Lulu
Corniche Ouest, Fann Residence, Rue 8 Face Olympique Club)

Vegan-friendly restaurant and store with living room atmosphere. Offers vegan bowls, sandwiches, and salads.

Loman Art House
Mosquée des Mamelles, n1

Contemporary art gallery and snack bar.

Imadi
La Maison Ballon, Rue de Tambacounda 45149 Dakar - Senegal

Imadi uses traditional african know-how to create beautifully handcrafted baskets and bags.

Saturday Morning: Sport at Ebbets Field in Dakar (American Embassy)

We went to a soft ball game in which Cornelia participated.

Tasting of Premium German Wines at Africa Gourmet in Dakar/ Senegal

During our visit of Dakar, Annette and I organized a tasting of premium German wines at Africa Gourmet in the Ngor District in Dakar. Africa Gourmet specializes in French wine, ranging from an entry-level Guigal Rhône Valley wine for less than Euro 10 to an aged Château Mouton Rothschild Magnum at more than Euro 1000 per bottle. Senegal being an islamic country, the clients of Africa Gourmet are essentially expatriates.

We were honored by the presence of the German Ambassador, Stephan Röken.

I have already reported about this most successful event: Pouring Premium German Wines at Africa Gourmet in Dakar/ Senegal, with Annette and Christian Schiller, West Africa/ Germany