Matu Café..ah bon hein:)

“Nah, nah, nah
No guarantee
Nah, nah, nah
No guarantee.”

Chico Debarge -No Guarantee

The lyrics of this end of 90s’s early 2000’s R& B song came in mind when I stepped inside of the Matu Cafe.Je ne sais pas, maybe it’s because the orange and green tones made me think of that video..I don’t know:) Memory association is fascinating..maybe it was because of the soulful music playing in the background..I don’t know..But tout celaa pour dire que the vibe inside of the eatery was already my “kind of vibe”.

I was meeting friends of mine, siblings duo Amy & Moha.Whenever they are visiting Dakar & have free time , we always manage to hang out at least once. It’s always pure laughter and good vibes. Amy is the one suggested we met at Matu Cafe.It was my first time hearing of it, she further explained that it was owned by a Senegalese woman who moved back to the 221 to follow her dreams of opening a coffee shop.

I visited the cafe’s instagram and looked through their online menu & was agréablement surprised. The restaurant is located in the neighborhood of Mermoz where I spent a big part of my life. The neighborhood has changed a lot lately, there are new luxury apartment buildings, pilates studio and now the Matu Cafe. I am sure people living near by are probably very happy about this new eatery.

Across the street ,there is a dance studio where my daughter has been a regular since maybe she was 5 years old. When I arrived at the coffeeshop, I was greeted by an amiable attendant who showed me to my table with a big smile. Maybe because it was early morning , the cafe was not crowded yet..which selfishly I like lol. There were 2 gentlemen having a chat , a hijabi woman on her computer. While waiting for my friends, I enjoyed un chocolat viennois “au chaud” comme disent nos frères Ivoiriens 😀.

Soon after the siblings arrived, in between catching up, we ordered our breakfasts. Moha had the chicken waffles, Amy had the Senegalese omelette and I tried the croissant Benedicte. The portions were reasonable and the plating was pleasant & neat. All 3 of us enjoyed our morning meals.

Our trio also enjoyed talking about working out; we talked pilates, running and paddle. Amy shared that she really enjoyed pilates because it really engages the body in its entirety. I have been wanting to try a class but for beginners, like a soft introduction to this practice😅 I know it’s a” big trend” in Dakar right now..pilates this , pilates that lol…which is not a bad thing. I really just want a chill environment not too uppity..just a pleasant vibe. I really am also looking for a class with a focus on breath & meditation.I will keep looking online et continuer à me renseigner.

Before leaving the coffeehouse, I wanted to try one of their fruity soft drinks. I chose the Mangoe Passion cocktail with une tranche de citron which made for a beautiful visual dégradé color combo . It gave me the right boost of energy I needed this morning. The next treat I would like to try there , is the carrot cupcake..affaire à suivre donc 🙂

Till next time InshAllah:

Yaye

“Nah, nah, nah
No guarantee
Nah, nah, nah
No guarantee.”

Chico Debarge -No Guarantee