A Spanish touch in the hood

El Paradiso Restaurant adds flavour to Monarch The domineering presence of El Paradiso Restaurant is an entertainment highlight that cannot be missed. The classy interior, lit-up in a faint purple glow, is as exotic as its name, which simply means ‘The Paradise’, suggests. Its charm offensive is reflected in the eager faces of the friendly staff who are always willing to go an extra mile to ensure a good time is had. Located in Monarch Area 7 in a complex known simply as Liquor, the restaurant with a Spanish touch offers both local and exotic dishes. SUMPTUOUS MEALS: Paradiso platter As well as Setswana cuisine, El Paradiso offers sumptuous meals that includes a wide range of English breakfast, snacks, chicken (grilled or fried), grilled or fried juicy steaks and their signature Paradiso platter. The restaurant serves an al carte menu, which basically means the food is prepared on an order basis. The kitchen is located in the VIP area which, when Covid-19 restrictions permit, also serves a wide range of cocktails, whiskies, spirits and wines. The wider well-stocked bar area has a dance floor, two serving points and a wooden sitting arrangement for diners. The restaurant owner, Tebogo Toteng believes his establishment, which opened its doors in December last year, will eventually emerge as the biggest entertainment joint in Francistown. The budding entrepreneur said they work hard every day to try and make their customers’ experience a memorable one. "Before closure of liquor restaurants we were being proven right every day," he declares with a nonchalant shrug. El Paradiso Restaurant is an inspirational story that tells a tale of an up-market restaurant lifestyle deep in Kasi. Toteng was born and raised in the streets of Monarch. The idea of starting a decent eatery came to him after he grew weary of having to venture out of the hood whenever he wanted a good chilling place. "Nothing beats the vibes in the Kasi! So we needed a place where we can chill, have fun, listen to good music at reasonable prices. We are the biggest bar and restaurant in Monarch," he states matter-of-factly. YUMMY: Snack time at El Paradiso While the restaurant is currently closed because of Covid restrictions, Toteng affirms that El Paradiso will bounce back stronger than ever. "We are using the time to renovate, come with new ideas so that once things get back to normal, we give our customers the true kasi feeling," he adds. "What would Kasi be without our steak and ‘chisa nyama’ and the music? I'm happy that our building is sound proof so we can blast ourselves out without being a nuisance. We are busy building the brand and in a few years we want this brand to be synonymous with entertainment in Francistown." As well as captaining a successful business venture, Toteng hopes to inspire other young black entrepreneurs and show them they too can own big things as long as they put their mind to it. “You need to dream big,” he bellows, pounding his desk for maximum effect. "We are proud because there are a lot of things we have achieved before we closed. We had begun supplying ourselves with chicken and getting our vegetables from local farmers," Toteng reveals. As a parting short, the El Paradiso kingpin thanked his loyal customers for their support. "Sanitize and observe all Covid-19 regulations, and once everything normalises, the Paradiso crew will be back to give you a true Kasi experience," he concludes.

TheVoiceBW

Business

A Spanish touch in the hood

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