Saturday, June 7, 2008

Bissap Baobab-Senegalese cuisine

Bissap Baobab-Senegalese cuisine


I had a chance to eat at Bissap Baobab, a Senegalese place in Mission, San Francisco this Sunday. I have mixed opinions about it!

The place started to cram as soon as they opened at 6pm; reason I found out - creative drink selection (read in the end).

Like usual, being a vegetarian, there weren’t many dishes to select from-just 3--->

The Brochette- a grilled tofu/veggie entrée

Mafe- originally from Mali, a peanutty veggie stew

Riz au Cari- A fancy French name….but a simple vegetable stew indeed.

Me and my friend…. we ordered appetizer- Aloko fried sweet plantains served with tamarind sauce, $4.50. It did taste great but was not hot.

We also ordered fresh juice—a mix of ginger, tamarind and hibiscus (my own creation!!). They are usually served separate, but I asked them to mix it up. This tasted exclusively gingery and the portion was way too small for $3.

We ordered 2 entrees- Maf́e’, originally from Mali. This was a tofu/veggie stew with a peanut base, served with rice. Peanut is Senegal’s major crop.

The other entrée was Riz Au Cari- again a veggie stew with mild spices served with rice.

Both entrees were $8.50. Not a bad price, good portion size. They weren’t exactly bland or spicy. I have to admit I did like the Riz au cari. The Mafe was predictable, peanut-tasting dish. Nothing exciting.



For dessert, I ordered Thiakry; a yogurt/pudding made with cous cous. I absolutely loved it, great portion size for $4.50.




Take a look at the eclectic cocktails they serve!

HOUSE COCKTAILS $7.00
Flamboyant- hibiscus, lime, vodka….good mix, wish I tried this.
Salaan- tamarind margarita
Sorange- ginger, orange, whiskey
Rose- ginger, cranberry, vodka
Sedeem- ginger, rum, punch ---nice combo!
Tooni- ginger margarita
Tatu- hibiscus margarita-niccceeeeee
Fleur- tamarind, ginger, whiskey- Wish I tried this.

BISSAP'S TOP SHELF $8.00
Magnifique- Myers, ginger, hibiscus
Leroi- Ketel One, Chambord, hibiscus
L'hiver- Absolut Citron, Medori, ginger
Kani- Knob Creek, tamarind, oj
Saff- Bombay Sapphire, ginger, grapefruit – good combo, Wish I tried this.
Sande- Stoli Vanil, ginger, oj—Brilliant! Has all my favs…Stoli, ginger, oj!

COCKTAIL SMOOTHIES: $7.00
Sunugal- ginger, smoothie margarita
Ramon- mojito smoothies
Mogambo- flamboyant mango
Akuaba- Rum, hibiscus, lime, and ginger smoothie- sounds healthy doesn’t it?

I would maybe go back again…to try the drinks!