At last Timbuktu is as accessible as Pretoria - or at least its cuisine is, writes Hennie Fisher The Pretoria Art Museum houses many treasures, but there is a new one just a stone's throw away - an authentic African restaurant called Savanna. Chef Felix Okoua, an imposing figure, is at the helm of this delightful little restaurant that offers an opportunity to eat outside and appreciate the architecture of Sunnyside's apartment buildings from the '60s and '70s.story_article_left1Okoua, previously in charge of the kitchens at the Belgian embassy and at Petit Cochon in Morningside, is very proud of his own business. The intention is not to be a home-away-from-home eating house catering for people who want a familiar daily meal, but to introduce South Africans to the diversity and relatively unknown cuisine of West, Central and East Africa.This is a restaurant where one could have a business lunch or take things a little slower and explore the cuisine of the continent. They serve a selection of local beers, but be sure to try the homemade drink called Yamamkongui, refreshing and no doubt healthy because of its intense ginger kick.The menu offers a selection of dishes from countries including the Congo, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Nigeria, Mali and Benin. Customers usually order dishes from the à la carte menu, but for a fun first experience of authentic African food it might be a good idea to go in a group, order an array of dishes, and get a feel for the extent of the cuisine. Be forewarned that dishes referred to as soups are in fact stews; the spinach soup is in fact a hearty stew with pieces of meat and spinach, topped with flakes of fish.From Mali or Senegal there is mafe, a chicken dish with a peanut sauce. Jollof rice (also from Nigeria and Senegal) is accompanied by very firmly cooked semolina, reminiscent of our own pap. Pondu, a stew of cassava leaves with palm oil, is heavenly; a goat stew goes well with the atieke (cassava couscous), which looks a lot like the Banting version made from cauliflower. full_story_image_hleft1Atieke is also served with a whole grilled tilapia, excellent value at R60. Egusi is made from various types of meat in an interesting sauce based on the flesh and seeds of a calabash. There are little bowls of condiments such as fried plantain and a fierce chopped chilli sauce to spice things up considerably.Try Savanna for African food that is as authentic as one could possibly find without undertaking an expedition up north.Unipark, 725 Arcadia Street, Pretoria, 0734749335..