Leaving the country without leaving the city

Africa. The people, the smells, the landscape, the food.

Going to Africa last summer was an incredible experience in my life and last night, I got a little taste and a little flashback to the continent, and my time there.

There is a restaurant/club/pub in London called "The Double Club." It serves a mix of Congolese and Western style food, in a space decorated by Congo and European artists alike. Even the servers are African.

Finding this place was a bit tough because it is a 'rotating restaurant.' Meaning it is only in operation for 6 months. It is located down a dead end side street, with no sign on the outside reading "double club." Actually, from the outside, the place looks a bit like a warehouse - a bit sketchy. But once you walk inside, the atmosphere completely changes. There is a smiling hostess, people asking to take your coat, and a great aesthetic set up.

Immediately upon walking into the restaurant I was reminded of Zambia. The smells of the spices and the meat on the grill was overwhelming - in a good way. It smelled exactly the way I remembered Africa smelling during my first nights there. The bright colors of reds and greens and yellows which decorated the walls reminded me of everything colorful about Africa.

The food too, was similar to my daily diet in Zambia; stewed greens, fish (in Zambia, fish was not the norm, but a specialty), and a starchy mash on the side (similar to the 'shima' I ate daily). The greens I ordered were called 'Bitekuteku' and the starch was called 'chikwange'. I loved it! The girls all seemed to really enjoy the atmosphere, the music and the food as well. Some of them even risked ordering from the Congo side of the menu :-)

(It tastes a whole lot better than it looks)

After eating, we went into the bar area, which is made to look like an outdoor courtyard. There was such a crazy and interesting mix of people there! Definitely not the business type or tourist type you would normally see when going out to a pub/bar in the center of London. Everyone here was young and unique and gorgeous.

In addition to the restaurant and the bar, there was a dance club! In the middle of the room the DJ was on a rotating dance floor! The DJ played Congolese music from every decade. There were disco balls, laser lights and a video screen displaying music videos from the Congo! So crazy, so fun. I danced until my feet were sore and I couldn't stand up any longer!

It was such a fun, unique Saturday night! From dinner to bar to dancing! And, in such great atmosphere. This experience definitely made my top ten of London to date.