Monday, 14 July 2014

+233 Jazz Club


It was my second Friday night in Ghana and after a week of working on reports in to LGBT rights, disability in Ghana, and the Ghanaian Constitutional Review, it was time to relax and try and find some live music to enjoy.

We succeeded.

A few colleagues and I headed to +233 Jazz Bar and Grill (named for some reason after Ghana’s international dialling code) in the North Ridge neighbourhood of Ghana. We had called in advance to check what was on and how much entry was, but didn’t manage to get through. So we chanced it.

+233 is not cheap by local standards, with a cover of 20 cedis (around £4), but is a very pleasant place to spend an evening. It’s entirely outdoors - so avoid when it’s raining and bring mosquito repellent – which means that it’s a great place to enjoy the warm evening breeze. The tables and chairs are arranged around a large stage area, with some space for dancing in the front (although no one got up to dance until around 11pm – primarily this is a place to listen).

+233’s food, though not likely to win any Michelin stars any time soon, provides a break from fufu, kenkey and rice, and my vegetarian pizza wasn’t at all bad. Mains range from around 20 – 55 cedis (£4 – 11) and options range from pizza to burgers to lobster. There is also an extensive cocktail menu (be warned, they are strong).

Friday night’s music, which kicked off around 20.30 wasn’t really jazz – more a selection of old Motown hits and some newer R n B. The band and singers, though, couldn’t be faulted.

All and all, the atmosphere at +233 reminded me of being at a wedding – such was the style of band, arrangement of tables, and awkward shy dancing. Not a jazz club par excellence, but an enjoyable way to spend an evening.


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