Cover Tamba main dining hall
Tamba main dining hall
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The evocative restaurant is founder Kurt Wagner’s latest endeavor, presenting hearty West African dishes imbued with spice. It also features a dominant showing of South African spirits by the bar
Enter Tamba, an intimate yet transcendent restaurant that fetes the vibrant spirit and rich flavours of West Africa. Housed in a two-storey conservation shophouse along Duxton Road, the restaurant is dreamt up by founder Kurt Wagner, who also owns African-themed restaurant Kafe Utu. Aside from drawing inspiration from his early childhood in Liberia, Wagner shares that “Tamba has also been a deeply personal journey where I celebrate the life of my late adopted brother, after which the restaurant was named”.
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Tamba dining table setting
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In the lively 25-seater enclave, the devil’s in the details and it boils down to every nook and cranny where design-led easter eggs await the discerning eye. At the forefront of design is international designer Virginia Pérez-Orive who spent two years researching and curating to reflect the essence of the Tamba story accurately. “The process of designing Tamba was a fascinating exploration into the richness of West African culture, home to hundreds of different ethnic groups, languages, and traditions,” said Pérez-Orive.
Take a look around and you’ll find stunning sculptures and cultural artefacts, each with intriguing stories to uncover, where every element is deliberate. “Tamba embraces a very particular West African joie de vivre, and we have endeavoured to recreate not just a dining space but the embodiment of community, hospitality, and warmth that is so integral to West African homes’ way of life,” she quips.
Above Wall mural by French sculptor Etienne Moyat
Wall mural by French sculptor Etienne Moyat
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For us, the colour scheme, made up of earthy tones of terracotta and sandy beige juxtaposed with striking colours of the African nations, reminds of the vast desert landscapes of the Sahara Desert. The textured walls, painstakingly made by hand etching forks across clay, are charmingly rustic and give the effect of wind of sand. Even the uneven geometric wooden feature mural, crafted by renowned French sculptor Etienne Moyat, commands attention in a crowded room.
Above Tamba West African food spread
Tamba West African food spread
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A feast for the senses awaits in the main dining room. Expect punchy yet comforting flavours while the bold use of spice and smoke lends a comforting touch amid West African opulence. Cherished staples include the Jollof rice, where rice is cooked and flavoured with tang and spice, arrives with an aromatic sofrito and succulent sakura chicken; dense Tapalapa bread, served with creamy goat’s milk ricotta, comes with smoked bacon butter and is finished with house-smoked honey; and flame-kissed Suya (Angus tenderloin), accompanied by kachumbari (a piquant tomato and onion salad) and a crunchy smoked kuli kuli (nut chip).
Above Dry Boney
Dry Boney
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Under the cool shade of the restaurant’s thatched roof is the bar, where each tipple weaves in the rich tapestry of West African culture as imaginative cocktails. Our favourite? The Dry Boney. Inspired by Tamba’s life growing up, this sexy twist on a classic bloody mary drinks silky yet sharp with vegetal notes of celery and clean spice from habaneros. Other highlights include The Next Pele, a tangy tamarind cachaca cocktail; the Vita, crafted from cacao butter fat-washed Mhoba rum sourced from South Africa; and boatloads of interesting small-batch spirits such as Haitian rums from Papalin Distillery and the punchy Habitation Velier Savanna Herr White rum from Réunion Island.
With the likes of Kafe Utu, Wagner’s concepts have given us a strong sense of place and Tamba is no different. Remembering his late adopted kin, Wagner expresses that “Tamba was effortlessly warm and generous. I am proud to have created a space to celebrate his life and culture in hopes that the restaurant (Tamba) is a place that elicits the emotion of wanting to return and where home is not a place, but rather a feeling”.
Credits
Images: Tamba
