Where my ‘spinella’ be at?

 By Caroline Uliwa

Part of the designer furniture by Sanaa Tamu, found
at Spinella restaurant in Dar 

The spinel gemstone is the inspiration behind Spinella, a restaurant resting in the prestigious suburbs of Masaki, in Dar es Salaam.

Did you know Mahenge, Matombo and Tunduru in Tanzania as well as Tsavo in Kenya; are among the few places quality spinel is mined today. As well that the standardizing of gemology was birthed when past jewelers were trying to figure out how to distinguish a ruby from a spinel.

“I am happy today, see it’s the first day since we opened that our customers are mostly female...”-Solomon Bisrat shares with me as I place my order of a Mango Chicken Salad. It was the season in Tanzania where in Dar, you can get the delicious ‘embe dodo’, as I had already munched a heavy lunch.  I was looking to have a light but delicious dinner as the ambience here, beckoned me to have an auspicious moment.

Solomon is one of the owners of this space, himself a native of Ethiopia together with Dicksonchama Shoo & Aslam Popiwala from Tanzania they co-own Spinella. 

“Initially we had thought to open early last year with the intention of launching a club & lounge area/restaurant but then corona hit so we had to focus on the restaurant you see…”

Solomon was shedding light on the journey of Spinella which was officially launched earlier this year. The ambience of this joint is so serene and tasteful, spinning from a renovation of a residential bungalow in the vicinity. I bumped into the place following the showroom of Sanaa Tamu, a handmade furniture showroom also located here. It turns out the owners of Spinella and the creative genius behind Sanaa Tamu Joshua Ngowi, are all long time buddies.

Some of the pieces adorned at this restaurant are from Sanaa Tamu like the bar counter made of up-cycled dhow wood. I am telling you there is a reason Solomon is keen to draw in the working sister in Bongo, a demographic not much targeted by other foodie or bar venues.

Spinella is wise to target this demographic as the middle class in Dar es Salaam is growing with a healthy female population. As a working female myself they got me on one thing, décor! Their attention to detail in terms of aesthetics from Spinella’s landscaping design. Which at night allows you to view an empty sky with a background of thriving flora. Where these intelligent pockets of shrubs and flowers give each table an intimate setting beckoning you to relax.

The furniture as well doesn’t disappoint it’s not just the designer pieces from Sanaa Tamu, but as well the choice of using unique woods like coconut. How the overall décor sticks to a theme of afro rustic-chic, mhmn had to put that ‘afro’ in front. As the materials chosen for Spinella’s décor are over 75% made in Tanzania.

When my meal arrived on what was a quiet night with the full moon giving a warm halo over the whole arena. I was ready to devour it, the mango was delicious and the chicken portion in the salad was a good amount. 

In terms of taste I wouldn’t give it a five start rather a 3 as I wished the chicken was more on the barbeque side. However this is the only critique I have for this space, they need to tie in their menu so it’s just as elegant as their ambience.

 Otherwise their drinks are on point and it’s just the spot ladies for that delish gossip or fruitful networking bumps.

My meal with drink came to 18,000tshs, you can follow them here spinella instagram

n.b. this article was first published in The EastAfrican newspaper with this online link https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/magazine/spinella-has-the-right-decor-for-a-quiet-outdoor-dinner-3321416