THE AUTHENTIC INDIAN CUISINE

"18 Years of Quality and Excellence"

TANDOORI "SIZZLER" NIGHT EVERY TUESDAY

LUNCH:
12:00 noon to 3:00pm

DINNER:
7:00pm-11:30pm
Seven days a week

RESERVATIONS & TAKE OUT ORDERS
(220) 4496600
(220) 4496978

ABOUT US

Vimal who had been visiting the Gambia since 1985 was disillusioned by the fact that there was no Indian restaurant in Banjul and the surrounding areas. Having had experience in administering the Haveli in Richmond and Co- owning the well known Blenhiems Wine bar in S. Johns Wood in the late 80’s decided to give it a go. His experience of cooking started when he was 12 years of age. At that time being a vegetarian and going to a boarding school where the main dishes were always meat based he requested the canteen chef to allow him to cook some vegetarian dishes. Coming from a vegetarian background and having a mother whose cooking was excellent he began using the recipes given to him by his mother on every visit home. Later on when friendships expanded he began to toy with chicken, fish and lamb recipes.

In December 1990 during one of his visits to Banjul along with his wife Preeti and son Chiragh, Vimal sought after a building to open a restaurant to serve the dishes that he had mastered and created to the discerning patrons. Looking at the whole scene and considering the local patronage, a place in Cape Point was located. After spending some time in refurbishing the existing premises to suit his needs The Clay Oven was opened on 5th August 1991. It was a success beyond Vimal’s expectations. In January 1992 the Sunday People in UK had an article in the paper quoting ‘’The Clay Oven as the best Indian Restaurant in the Gambia’’ Since then there have been many favourable comments in other established newspapers. He took on Alieu and Lamin as his personal assistants in the kitchen. They have been with The Clay Oven since then and have proven to be great.

In 2001 December after completing building and setting up at the new site in Fajara near the well known Medical Research Council, The Clay Oven opened its doors at the new site on 28th December 2001. The new site offers a very fresh, bright, scenic and sophisticated look with calming garden surroundings. It has introduced a new look menu still retaining the old favourites. With the new site and the expansion of the place and taking on the catering services at the 18 hole golf club Vimal invited Raja to join the team at The Clay Oven. Raja is a charming young man who has adapted to the needs of the restaurant and its clients to a great extent. An addition to our front team is a young charming person called Mr. G(Gunjan)

Come and savour the difference from other Indian restaurants, the very personal service of Vimal and his team Mr. G, Alieu, Lamin, Buba and others, from your arrival through to your order being taken, to enjoying your meal and savouring the ambience.

We will assist you in making your choice, creating a fantastic selection of food all with different flavours and textures, new contemporary Indian dishes with the authentic classic Indian dishes. Every dish created and cooked to perfection by Vimal, Alieu and Lamin the trusted chefs for 18 good years using the freshest available ingredients and freshly ground spices. An addition to our team of chefs is Moinuddin , a talented chef from Rajhastan India

The interior offers a stunning bar with comfortable lounge seating on one side and a view of the main restaurant in front with panoramic views of the garden through wrought iron windows.