The Rock, Zanzibar

The Rock from the beach

Once upon a time, I was in love. A picture of this restaurant, seen on a website, was the perfect setting for some eye gazing and sweet nothing whispered in each others ears. I immediately made a reservation and could not hold my enthusiasm for this unforgettable evening.

The Rock is situated on the beautiful South East coast of Zanzibar, where the sand is talcum white and the coconut trees are lazily lined up and swaying in the wind. It looks like a deserted beach and it is perfect for lovers' strolls and rolling in the sand, writing silly I love U's and splashing in the water.

The evening arrived and we are transported by very friendly staff of the Dongwe Ocean View Hotel toThe Rock Restaurant. Our doors are opened and we are escorted in a little boat to the stairs immersed in the crystal ocean water. A hand is offered and I am assisted towards the staircase leading up to the dining area, shoes still in hand. Friendly smiles and "karibu"s meet us and as we walk in I feel like royalty boarding a luxury yacht. In front of me, the deep blue ocean dances through the large open doors at the back of the restaurant.

We are kindly taken to our table and seated  with much care. After we ordered our wine, we decided to enjoy the view and breeze from the outdoor couches set atop this big rock. Unfortunately there is no sunset, as it is the east coast, but this does not demper the romance and awesomeness of this place. As the fresh breeze blows through your hair and candles are lit inside, you can imagine yourself in the romance of Leo and Kate on the Titanic. No barriers, no boundaries, nothing in your sight except for the majestic Big Blue Ocean and restaint is needed to not stand up, spread my arms and shout "I can fly!"

The beach from Dongwe Ocean View Hotel

We return to our table and study the menu. Here, unfortunately, some dissapointment sets in... The menu is unimaginative. Obviously the guy that said, "Hey lets build a restaurant on a rock in the middle of the ocean in Africa", was not present at the design of the menu. Nor the wine list.

The menu consists of mostly fish, served mostly with rice and veggies. Nothing special, which is such an anti climax for this wonderful venue. The wine list is pretty much the inventory list of all the boring wines found in the local supermarket. After strike one, I start finding fault with some other small things: The tables are too high for the chairs and it feels as if I need Alice's magic potion to make me grow so I can comfortably cut my food. There is no music, and the beautiful sound of the waves breaking does not hide the awkward silences and whispers of the table next to ours. The food is bland and my fish overcooked. Dessert is tropical fruits cut up, arranged on a plate with not even a mint leaf to give the idea of some effort.

Upon leaving, the wonderful staff make you feel special and honoured, and we are again transported on a little boat to where the soft sand meets our toes in the dark and our smiling driver takes us back to the hotel and wishes us a wonderful night.

As with my relationship, The Rock was not perfect either, but hopefully this place will last longer than the romance. I cannot fault the service, nor the location or the wonderful experience of dining on such a unique place. But I sincerely hope the right guy comes along and makes this little gem shine brighter. Please, please, change the menu, play some music and make the tables lower!

Hopefully I fall in love again and The Rock will live up to its full potential before then!