This is a cute spot: that’s the first thought that comes to mind when I walk into Kanvas. In any other place this is a good thing but I live in Accra and so I know that almost too often, the cuter it is, the terrible but expensive the food is. Accra is that one family member that should not be taken at face value. Everything they say needs to be scrutinized, critically analyzed and questioned at every point. They are that untrustworthy.

It doesn’t matter though, I’m here and I haven’t done this in a very long while so I’m kind of anxious

The seatings are spaced enough that it affords you a bit of privacy without being too private. It’s sort of casual as well. There’s no loud music and I am grateful for that. The waiters are dressed smartly. They’re friendly and attentive and have recommendations ready, which I really appreciate. It’s somewhat quiet. There are only a few of us in there. I’m assuming that we came before rush hour. However there’s a bit of chatter and a few laughs so you know immediately it isn’t one of those places where you can’t breathe too loudly. This is my kind of vibe, I think to myself. I kind of like this.

It’s a barcode menu. I’m not particularly fond of them but I like that there’s less touching involved. I need to read everything. I’m one of those people who spend forever deciding what they want to eat. I remember my main purpose for being there so I focus and order two of the most distinct dishes on the menu. One very easy and straight foward and the other a bit technical. I’m no fool, I read the reviews online and chose what allegedly is their best and worst dish and third neutral sides because I take my job seriously! It’s an unpaid job; mostly unfulfilling but I am nothing if not thorough.

Before I order, I look around again. There are a lot of unoccupied seats. It worries me so I ask the hostess if it’s usually empty. I quite like emptiness, but not at restaurants. It makes me feel like there’s something unpleasant I don’t know but will eventually find out

Overall rating - 6.8/10

Now the food:

We ordered the Wing Fling, Rich Stout & Garlic Pork belly, Creamy Jollof, Parmesan Mashed Potatoes. For drinks we ordered Passionate Cooler and Big Buff: a mocktail and a cocktail. I’ve found that a lot of restaurants barely put any effort into making their mocktails so this is some sort of test I guess.

Rich Stout & Garlic Pork belly - GHS 240

Wing fling - GHS 165

Creamy Jollof - GHS 55

Parmesan Mashed Potatoes - GHS 55

Passionate Cooler (mocktail) - GHS 50

Big Buff (cocktail) - GHS 90

Still Water - GHS 25

Total + Taxes = GHS 828.92

Rich Stout & Garlic Pork belly

Taste - 7/10

Value for money - 8/10

The pork belly was served alongside veggies, pickled carrots, yam, and a mushroom and bourbon sauce.

The portion size was generous and could be split amongst two adults. The broccoli was stringy and overcooked. Almost all of the veggies on the plate were overcooked actually. They also look like they came out of a pack. I barely touched them. The pork however was perfectly tender, and melt in your mouth delicious. There were fleeting hints of sweetness, and the charred/burnt edges delivered a much needed bitterness to cut through the richness of the pork and the creaminess of the sauce. My favourite part of the dish were the pickled carrots . They provided much needed acidity that the dish really needed. A bite of everything together was delightful. I found that a bit of pickled carrot in every other bite delighted the palette and gave me a break from all that richness the dish had going on. The yam was a tad too salty for me and just overwhelmed my palette.

Wing Fling

Taste - 6.5/10

Value for money - 5/10

Smokey bbq wings were served alongside guacamole, garlic flatbread, ad picked tomatoes.

I though the price was too steep for chicken wings so I had huge expectations. The wings were a tad bit dry but that didn’t take away from the flavour. It had the perfect amount of smokiness. The bbq sauce was perfectly balanced with all the medley of spices completing each other beautifully. The garlic flatbread was quite dry and unimpressive. Guacamole was guacamole. Nevertheless this was a good dish.

Creamy Jollof

Taste - 9/10

Value for money - 7/10

This was my favourite dish. It tasted like the most delicious Ghanaian style jollof with hints of smokiness. It was a tiny bit spicy but really the mild kind.

Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

Taste - 8/10

Value for money - 7/10

Smooth, creamy, and absolutely divine .

Passionate Cooler

Taste - 8/10

Value for money - 8/10

Big Buff (mixed cherries, chambord, lime juice, sugar syrup, orange juice)

Taste - 6/10

Value for money - 7/10

The first sip tasted like straight up bourbon. It overwhelmed my palette. It was almost impossible to taste the lime. All you could pick up was the bourbon and chambord which gave off a sickly sweet and unnatural berry flavour. It was garnished with a strawberry and three blue berries which had the texture of thawed frozen berries: kid of mushy. I reckon this would be a great cocktail for bourbon lovers or even as a shooter.

Restaurant Review: Kanvas Bistro

Overall rating - 6.8/10

African Food Is Healthy Too