Street food served in style at Pweza Cafe

The thing about makange is that you know that it will never disappoint. At least that is the kind of mentality I always have when I order that thick spicy curry in which some pieces of chicken or a whole fish has been mixed into. Makange is probably one of the most authentic dishes in Tanzania. 

I wasn’t so sure though when I arrived at Pweza Cafe to learn that they serve a type of Makange that I had never tried before, one made with octopus-- Makange ya Pweza.

As the name of the eatery suggests, octopus  (pweza) is the main dish served. However, I have never heard of a  Makange ya Pweza. Since my partner for the night and I were up for an adventure, we said why not? I ordered pweza and she had calamari (ngisi). When I first heard of Pweza Cafe, I was impressed. This is what I call being authentic. 

 Whenever I see an octopus being sold along the street, as it is a custom in Dar es Salaam, I think of my late grandfather, Mzee James Mngodo. Babu had his preferences when it came to food. He enjoyed dishes that reminded him of his upbringing in Tanga. I remember we used to eat ugali with mchunga, a bitter kind of greens and papa (shark), that salty fish, when we were young.  It has been a long while since I had papa or pweza, which was also babu’s favourite.  The cafe made his memory alive.  

The restaurant has been running for three weeks now. Located behind the Sayansi-building, the eating joint is an outdoor restaurant that opens its doors at 4pm and closes at midnight.  Though I was told that my order would be ready in five minutes, I ended up waiting for thirty. But the waitress is so charming, you would forget that you were upset when she comes to explain that the food is almost ready.  

Makange ya pweza, Supu ya pweza, Mishikaki ya pweza with either ugali or fries are served at Sh15,000. You can also have calamari or prawns. When the food finally came, my partner realised that they made her prawns instead of calamari.  She ate it anyway when she considered that it might take another 30 minutes for her order to be prepared. 

What can I say about my plate of makange, my oh my oh my! Surely, makange will never disappoint. It was actually way nice than I had imagined it. I wonder why I had never thought of making the dish myself. Maybe there were a few hiccups with the order, but once the meal was served it was worth it.