Under the July Tree: +233 Jazz Bar & Grill

Photo credit: touristswatch.com

Location: North Ridge, opposite Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC)

Price range: Food 10-40 cedis, Drinks (cocktails available) 5-30 cedis. 

Cuisine type: Ghanaian finger-food and American fare (burgers, fries, khebabs, kelewele...)

Dress code: Casual (tip: wear jeans/longsleeves so you won't be bothered by mosquitos while seated outside)

Hours: Open Mon-Thursday 5pm-2:30am, Friday 5pm-4am, and weekends from 2pm-4am.

I had the wonderful opportunity to visit +233 Jazz Bar & Grill this week for a few drinks with a girlfriend. The place is so (cleverly) named after the international dialing code used to call Ghana when abroad. It is a large purple building with +233 written in neon lights. 

The ambience of the place resembles that of jazz clubs I have frequented in NYC and other parts of the USA. However, I am happy to report that  +233 is happily devoid of any of the smoke or ever so slight seediness that sometimes accompanies such spots. This can largely be attributed to its large outdoor patio and upstairs terrace.  It affords you the opportunity to dine and sip cocktails while listening to the live band outdoors rather than in a dark basement. While the band plays outdoors you may choose to seat yourselves inside or outside. You are still able to view the band when seated inside because the back half of the building is a clear glass wall. 

When my ladydate and I arrived around 6pm we had the entire space to ourselves but other people steadily trickled in and settled on the lower terrace.  There is a certain amount of privacy associated with the upper terrace (where we sat) and it provides an excellent view of the stage. There is an enormous tree that sort of wraps itself around the staircase to the upper terrace and provides you with some shade while you are seated up there. The band started setting up before we even arrived but, to our amusement, they did not start playing until 8pm. This worked out in our favor as we were primarily interested in catching up with one another and it was impossible to hear each other once the band started playing. Overall, we had a great time! 

The band was very good and the crowd of dinners on the lower patio showered them with the appropriate amount of praise. There was no singer for the night, just instruments and good vibes. I have heard there may be an entrance charge sometimes when the band is playing but we were not asked to pay anything. 

Due to the noise level of the band, this is not a place I would encourage you to patronize for first dates where you are trying to get to know one another or nights when you just want to chat. However, it is perfect for a mellow evening where the goal is to grab something off the grill and sip drinks while letting the music help you both unwind from a long day. I look forward to going back on a night where a singer will be accompanying the band. I am not aware of many Ghanaian jazz vocalists but I am looking forward to discovering some with the help of +233. 

I don't have a great review of the food here because we only sampled the finger-food. We ordered the chicken kebabs, french fries, and kelewele. I don't think either of us enjoyed the chicken khebabs much but the french fries and kelewele were fine! My custom cocktail was delicious though. :)

The only Ghanaian jazz performer I am aware of is Jojo Abot but she is based outside of Ghana right now. If you haven't heard any of her songs before I highly encourage you to give her a try as she so incredibly conscious and eloquent while being both visually and acoustically riveting. She infuses jazz with her Ewe heritage beautifully: some of Jojo Abot's music.

*Today's post title is a homage to +233's tree, our current month of July, and Nina Simone's (my favorite jazz queen) beautiful love song July Tree. 

Directions: It is a large purple building with +233 in neon lights.  It is directly opposite of Ghana Broadcasting Corporation on the road to Asylum Down/Circle but you cannot drive there from the main road. 

(Sorry for the fuzzy photos)

Travel the World with Me: La Tante DC 10 Restaurant and Bar

Photocredit: PapJeff https://www.flickr.com/photos/papjeff/10749859996 

Location: Airport, near the Marina Shopping Mall
Price range: 10-40 cedis per dish
Cuisine type: Ghanaian (vegetarian options available)
Dress code: Casual Dressy or something thematic if you want to have fun with it!

*Full disclosure: Beau was not present for this adventure. It was a lovely friend-date with a girlfriend.  

This restaurant is a delightful twist on the traditional evening dinner. Instead of a traditional brick and mortar establishment, this venue has been created out of a refurbished Ghana Airways DC-10 airplane! It is definitely a date that will help gauge your partner's sense of adventure and explore topics concerning the domestic and international places you both have travelled in the past and where you hope to visit in the future!

After walking up the tarmac and ascending the airplane staircase you will find yourself in the belly of the plane.  To your right will be the bar and to your left is the dining area. Much has been done to preserve the look and feel of the old plane. The place has a bit more of a vintage feel as our much maligned,  yet beloved, Ghana (Maybe) Airways (hehe) ceased operation sometime in the early aughts.

The waiters and waitresses are gamely dressed as flight attendants. The seats are refurbished airplane seats but are quite spacious compared to what we are normally allocated on flights these days.  We picked a set of four seats which were set up to form a booth.  From the oval airplane windows we could see a little of Airport City.

I had heard reviews of the service as slow and the food as mediocre but I was quite happy with my meal and so was my companion. I had the tilapia and jollof while she had vegetarian couscous jollof. 

Overall,  it was an amusing time which I recommend for a fun date to break up any monotony. I recommend it more for the novelty of the experience rather than food although the food is perfectly fine. It is on par or better than Papaye  in terms of taste and price. 

Directions: Most directions list it as across from Marina Mall.  This is accurate but misleading as you have to access it from a different road. You cannot just cross the street and access it.  You have to drive through the airport as if you are going to the Landing Restaurant but then drive past it without taking the immediate right turn that leads to the Landing Restaurant.  The plane is huge and a cheerful green and will be located on your right after about a minute or two's drive.