Mozambicans are generally unfamiliar with Thai food, and the taxi driver who took me to Spicy Thai — an all-you-can-eat Thai buffet on a major commercial thoroughfare in Maputo — had never heard of the restaurant.
Expats and young Mozambicans are the most likely to frequent this restaurant on Julius Nyere, according to Fernando Ribeiro, a local who has part ownership in Spicy Thai.
My tea was served piping hot by an attentive waitress who made me feel comfortable and welcome.
For starters at my lunchtime buffet, I had delicious shrimp-stuffed toast — dainty, thin and perfect to stimulate the appetite. Miniature vegetable spring rolls were also among the starters and very tasty.
Although Mozambicans eat curries, the ones at Spicy Thai are different, Ribeiro said. These include green curried tuna, a creamy dish I’d never tasted before.
Fried chicken gizzards are considered a staple delicacy in Maputo, and they were part of the buffet at Spicy Thai and most every breakfast and lunch buffet I ate at in Maputo. Also on the line at the Spicy Thai buffet was fried egg soup — a variation of egg drop soup.
I kept going back for the fried prawns with garlic and black pepper. I’ve always loved salt-and-pepper shrimp in U.S. restaurants. These were yummy.
The restaurant was opened in 2005 by a group of mostly Thai investors, including a Thai member of parliament, interested in fisheries and agriculture in Mozambique.
The restaurant is open seven days a week, and the buffet is served weekdays for lunch and dinner. There’s a prominent photo on the wall from a visit in 2013 by the Thailand prime minister and her delegation, who were served traditional food by Spicy Thai.
Expert Review
Mozambicans are generally unfamiliar with Thai food, and the taxi driver who took me to Spicy Thai -- an all-you-can-eat...
Mozambicans are generally unfamiliar with Thai food, and the taxi driver who took me to Spicy Thai — an all-you-can-eat Thai buffet on a major commercial thoroughfare in Maputo — had never heard of the restaurant.
Expats and young Mozambicans are the most likely to frequent this restaurant on Julius Nyere, according to Fernando Ribeiro, a local who has part ownership in Spicy Thai.
My tea was served piping hot by an attentive waitress who made me feel comfortable and welcome.
For starters at my lunchtime buffet, I had delicious shrimp-stuffed toast — dainty, thin and perfect to stimulate the appetite. Miniature vegetable spring rolls were also among the starters and very tasty.
Although Mozambicans eat curries, the ones at Spicy Thai are different, Ribeiro said. These include green curried tuna, a creamy dish I’d never tasted before.
Fried chicken gizzards are considered a staple delicacy in Maputo, and they were part of the buffet at Spicy Thai and most every breakfast and lunch buffet I ate at in Maputo. Also on the line at the Spicy Thai buffet was fried egg soup — a variation of egg drop soup.
I kept going back for the fried prawns with garlic and black pepper. I’ve always loved salt-and-pepper shrimp in U.S. restaurants. These were yummy.
The restaurant was opened in 2005 by a group of mostly Thai investors, including a Thai member of parliament, interested in fisheries and agriculture in Mozambique.
The restaurant is open seven days a week, and the buffet is served weekdays for lunch and dinner. There’s a prominent photo on the wall from a visit in 2013 by the Thailand prime minister and her delegation, who were served traditional food by Spicy Thai.