Sometimes a Boring Breakfast Is the Best Breakfast of All
Sometimes a Boring Breakfast Is the Best Breakfast of All
Espresso in Kigali
Leaning back into a pile of cushions while sipping a perfectly rich Americano, I felt at home. Months of living in chaotic Kampala suddenly became a distant memory, even though I was only a few hours away.
Traveling to Kigali was like being transported to another world. Pristine roads lined by streetlights and sidewalks connected the city’s neighborhoods, which sprawled across rolling green hills. Vendors selling SIM cards in the city center were unaggressive as they solicited me from at least arm-distance away. The nights were quiet except for the sound of rain hitting tin roofs and cement walkways. Having become accustomed to the exact opposite urban arrangement in Kampala, Kigali seemed a mirage.
I found Inzora Rooftop Café tucked away at the back of Ikirezi Bookstore—easy to miss from the road—on my last morning in Kigali. A friend who had visited the city a few weeks earlier tipped me off about the Kacyiru neighborhood café but with a limited description.
Inzora’s menu was very simple: a number of espresso-based drinks, teas, smoothies, and a handful of baked goods. Not yet having my morning caffeine fix, I ordered quickly and made myself at home. The seating area was spread out against floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a lush ravine. A soundtrack of typical café jazz and local folk songs played as I waited for my order.
I was giddy from the sight of my meal as the waitress placed it in front of me minutes later. The Americano was strong enough to be the perfect wake-up, yet not too strong to need milk and sugar. And even better, the drink was made from medium-dark roasted Huye Mountain beans farmed less than three hours away.
A fruit smoothie of fresh strawberry, mango, and pineapple along with a raisin oatmeal cookie made for the breakfast I was craving. This was certainly not the milky chai and chapatti I had spent months sampling across East Africa. Although delicious, the Indian-inspired breakfast eventually left me craving my old comforts of coffee and cereal in Vancouver. While I was still thousands of miles away from home, the humdrum breakfast left me feeling transported, banishing my homesickness. Sometimes we all need a getaway to the familiar.