On our last night in Swakopmund, we decided to go to the restaurant recommended by our tour guide. He said that this place is an absolute "must-try" when in the city. Almost everything on the menu is ostrich, with a few other wild game dishes. But diners go there for the ostrich treats.
Aptly named Ombo Restaurant after the Oshiwambo word for ostrich, this small eatery situated on the first floor of the Bundu n See Hotel, has become a legend. It is owned and operated by a family that also runs the Ostrich Paradise Farm about 15 kilometers north of Swakopmund. Thus, the ostrich meat in their renowned dishes come directly from their farm and are certified organic.
We easily found the place for it is situated on the same street as our previous hotel and the huge wooden ostrich statue strategically installed in front of it was impossible to miss. Inside, the walls were decorated with ostrich paintings and the corners were lined with painted ostrich eggs in baskets. The host and servers were very welcoming and they were happy to give recommendations and answer our questions about ostrich farming and ostrich recipes.
We had an appetizer similar to an omelet, but of course, made from ostrich egg, served with ostrich liver pate and crackers. To cleanse our palate for the main course, we were presented with frothy cocktails made with raw ostrich egg white. My husband passed, privately expressing his worries about salmonella and his sensitive digestive system. I guess my curiosity trumped over any health concerns, and I was glad I tried it. The drink was a wonderful concoction of gin, fresh lemon juice, soda water, and some cherries, and I actually did not taste the raw egg at all. It was so good that I even drank my husband's. I couldn't let that go to waste, could I?
My husband warned me not to get sick...we had a long train journey scheduled for the following afternoon and our long flight to Canada was the evening after. I assured him that based on my tummy's longstanding record of behaving well from all its encounters with exotic food from past travels, there was nothing to fret about. He shook his head and said, "How can you still be alive from all the stuff you dare to eat? Is there even anything you won't try?"
"Life is full of food adventures...so just seize every moment," I told him. "Easy for you to say...and actually do," he replied. And I felt a little sorry for him because even if he wanted to be adventurous, he couldn't take chances with unfamiliar food. If there is one thing that I am grateful for, it is the absence of food allergies and food intolerances in my life. I simply cannot imagine myself not being able to eat something because it will have some serious health consequences.
So, I was glad that my husband enjoyed his main course - a platter of ostrich steak served with a gravy sauce altered for him by the chef on account of his dietary restrictions. We were told that ostrich steak is best cooked rare to medium-rare, but my husband requested that they do his medium-well, as he has never been a fan of pinkish meat and he wanted to play it safe. We also learned that ostrich meat is leaner and healthier than other meats. However, it is usually served with some kind of rich and creamy sauce, so that sort of cancels out the low-fat factor. Oh well!
His dish came with sliced Kalahari truffles, a local desert delicacy. Unlike its European relatives, this particular type of truffle grows in arid soil and is mostly found in the deserts of the Mediterranean and Arabian Peninsula, as well as in North Africa and Namibia. It has a nutty and earthy flavour, and though not as rare and as exorbitant in price as those from Europe, it is highly valued for its taste and medicinal properties. In fact, it was said that even the Great Prophet Mohammed dubbed this as “manna from the heavens,” and most Namibians agree.
My husband thought it was fine for him to eat it. It's just another type of mushroom, he said....and he eats mushrooms regularly anyway. This was the extent of his "being food adventurous."
My dish not come with truffles, so I tasted some of his and I thought I caught a hint of smoky potato in it, which is another staple in my husband's diet. No wonder he liked it.
I ordered the ostrich stroganoff, which was superb. Ostrich meat ironically tastes more like beef than chicken or duck, that’s why it goes well with stroganoff sauce, normally cooked with beef in the German tradition. It is slightly gamier, though, but in a good way. My dish was like the edgier version of beef stroganoff.
We ended our meal with a creamy custard dessert made with ostrich egg as well. It was definitely a night of ostrich overload, but we were there only once, so why not make the most of it!
We walked back to our hotel, organized our luggage, and slept early. The following day was going to be a long trek back to Windhoek, where we started our Namibian journey.
Updates:
In 2014, the Bund n See Hotel was shut down by the sheriff of the court due to outstanding arrears. The building was left standing empty for years and every piece of furniture was auctioned off. This meant that the Ombo Restaurant was also permanently closed. In 2017, the property and the adjacent building were purchased by a development company that turned it into a modern activity centre as part of a tourism initiative in the city. The centre, which is fully operational now, consists of a brand new 4-star hotel and a shopping arcade.
While looking for pictures of the old Ombo Restaurant, I came across the website for Ombo Rest Camp. It that has both accommodations and a restaurant run by a German family, as well as an ostrich farm within the property. It is located north of Okahandja, not far from Swakopmund. I am not sure if this is owned by the same family that ran the Swakopmund Ombo Restaurant, but some items on the restaurant's menu look familiar...so maybe it is!
Photo Credits:
namres.blogspot.com, namibweb.com, megamasterstours.com, greatnamibianfoodproject.com, savannabel.com, i0.wp.com, the guardian.com
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