Yummy Vol 19 - Special Wine Edition

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WORLD OF WINE Demystifying New and Old world wines

SWAHILI SWAG We wine and dine at Swahili Beach

PERFECT PAIR Chef Ray’s tips for matching food and wine

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EDITORIAL YUMMY

WINE & DINE Last year we pulled out all the stops on a dedicated wine issue. We knew how much you loved your wine but never anticipated that it would become one of our readers’ favourite editions. It therefore only seemed fitting that we embrace this blossoming love affair and make this an annual special.

Many people still think there is way too much fuss surrounding wine.

I know it can be quite daunting to pick a good bottle from a shop aisle bursting with options or make a quick informed choice when presented with a lengthy wine list. I personally still get a little flustered when out with a group of friends who insist I make the “expert decision” on what we’ll have with our meal. I can literally see that everyone sat there is in desperate need of a healthy glass but can barely get over the anxiety that the so-called ‘wine police’ will spot them drinking the wrong wine!

This expectation that one glance at a wine list or bottle will reveal the perfect fit is in my opinion unrealistic.

Unlike spirits where we are often well-versed in brands and prefered serves, wine is completely different as we hardly order based on brand

alone. Selection therefore has to do with individual palates, the meal at hand and occasion, but sometimes it’s also just about what’s in your pocket!

Like anything in life, you just need to dive in, experiment and wave goodbye to the wine police! One can only truly begin to appreciate the extensive world of wine if they follow their curiosity and get more comfortable with asking. In that regard, this month we’ve asked all the questions that you’ve probably been wondering about. We explore the world of wine on page 29-33. For many of these regions, wine has been an integral part of the heritage with traditions that date back centuries.

Over the last few decades, we’ve seen the introduction of New World wines.

These hail from countries such as South Africa and Chile that are known to be more experimental and as a

result create first class wines. We’ve suggested a few of our favourites bottles in this issue, so you can now pop into your nearest wine shop and select a few with ease.

Charity Keita who admits that while she really enjoys wine is not a fan of the fuss attempts a little wine pairing experiment with close friends from the comfort of her home on page 21.

Chef Ray of Talisman gives us insight into how he approaches wine at his renowned restaurant on page 22, and we then sit down with the incredible Argentinian Ambassador to Kenya who doubles up as a sommelier on page 35.

Another must read is Susan Wong’s review of Graze, the New York-style steakhouse at Sankara Nairobi, which we’ve all been raving about.

Turn to page 24 for her poetic ode

to good steak, equally good wine and impeccable service. Finally, on a slightly different but equally exciting note, if you haven’t already heard, the Nairobi Burger Festival is around the corner, kicking off from 30th May till 5th June. Be sure to keep an eye out for more details because if last year’s Pizza Festival was anything to go by, this festival is going to be something else!

Happy Sipping!

Michelle Slater General Manager

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MAY 2016

CONTENTS 17

NEWS AND EVENTS Check out the tastiest news in the local food scene this month.

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KAHAWA DIARIES How I take my coffee with fast rising photographer Tatiana Karanja

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BREW MASTER We chat to master brewer and chef, Alan Murungi, the brains behind the success of the elegant French brasserie, Sierra.

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WINE AMBASSADOR Find out even more about wine from our chat with Argentinian ambassador and sommelier, H.E Bibiana Lucila Jones.

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Susan Wong’s rave review of Graze Restaurant is a poetic ode to good steak, equally good wine and flawless service.

CHEAT SHEET A simplified infographic to help you understand wine categories, different glasses as well as more about food and wine pairing.

40 OUT OF SICILY We pop into this quaint and charming wine shop in Muthaiga Shopping Center to find out more about the business of Italian wines.

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HOME GROWN Annabel Onyango drives down to Browns Cheese Farm for a leisurely afternoon of wine, cheese and fresh ice cream.

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WHISKY BUSINESS An afternoon of singletons and burgers leads to Jackson Biko and his friend getting into the most trivial of arguments.

46 SIP BY SIP Amy Selbach finds out whether a glass of red wine a day really is

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as good for you as they say it is.

CHEERS TO THAT Charity Keita is hell bent on cutting through the noise and understanding what all the fuss about wine pairing actually is

YUMMY Vol. 2.5 · May 2016 · PUBLISHED BY EATOUT, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. MANAGING DIRECTOR Mikul Shah GM Michelle Slater EDITOR Wendy Watta DESIGN Karan Khalsa, David Müller SALES, MARKETING & OPERATIONS Anne Kisang, Daniel Muthiani, Devna Vadgama, Fred Mwithiga, Fridah Gumba, Gilbert Chege, Joy Wairimu, Jude Musyoki, Seina Naimasiah, Soni Adriance, Winnie Wangui, Yoga David CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Katy Fentress CONTRIBUTORS Amy Selbach, Annabel Onyango, Jackson Biko IT Kelvin Jayanoris SALES INQUIRIES Call Yummy, 0711 22 22 22 EMAIL info@yummy.co.ke

/eatoutkenya

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@EatOutKenya

@eatoutkenya

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WIN WITH YUMMY

WIN A BOTTLE OF CLASSIC BISQUIT VS COGNAC FROM DISTELL GROUP LTD

DEAR YUMMY WIN TWO BOTTLES OF FORMENTERA RED SEA A WELL ROUNDED SPANISH WINE MADE FROM THE FINEST TEMPRANILLO AND CABERNET SAUVIGNON GRAPES - WHICH IS ON SPECIAL OFFER AT ALL ARTCAFFE BRANCHES THIS MONTH, SELLING FOR KSH 2,200 PER BOTTLE.

This month’s winner of the classic Bisquit VS Cognac is Raul Mendes who wrote in to express his love for our chocolate issue. This cognac courtesy of Distell Group Limited is worth Ksh 4,085 and will be up for grabs yet again in June. Write to us with any thoughts you have on the magazine. Who knows- you might soon be the one sipping this!

Last month we gave away a pair of vouchers for Themed Nights at Sankara Nairobi to Abigail Sami who wrote: Dear Yummy, I absolutely love the magazine. I just finished my 4th year of university and I’m hoping to move out in about four months.

My favourite section is the recipes as I’m always trying out the different dishes featured. I actually collect copies so that once I move out I can have regular home cook outs with friends. I am dying to try last month’s yummy chocolate recipes by Kenyan food bloggers! Restaurant hopping is also my newest hobby thanks to the review section with Susan Wong. Can’t wait to see what you come up with next.

Regards, Abigail.

Hi Abigail, Thanks for writing in! Glad you’re an avid reader of the magazine and even have your own personal collection. Be sure to tag us pictures of the dishes on social media @eatoutkenya once you recreate them in your new house. You can find a lot of other delicious recipes on yummy.co.ke. Meanwhile, be sure to participate in the upcoming Burger Festival from 30th May to 5th June. I’m sure you’ll discover some new favourite restaurants. Good luck with the move and keep reading Yummy!

Wendy Watta editor@eatout.co.ke

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NEW RESTAURANTS

STAY FROSTY It’s a gelato affair at Fior di Latte in Lavington Should you ever find yourself craving a creamy wild berry gelato or a refreshing old fashioned sorbet, you’ll want to check out Fior di Latte. Set on the ground floor of the Lavington Mall, this spot will satisfy your sweet tooth with a wide variety of farm fresh ice cream and even their very own gelato cakes! It doesn’t get any sweeter than that. eatout.co.ke/fior-di-latte

JUST FALAFEL Shawarma, Falafels and all that jazz at Marrakech No need to buy a plane ticket to get a taste of Middle Eastern cuisine... just head over to Marrakech on the second floor of Westgate Mall any time from 6:00am to 11:00pm. They offer sandwiches made with freshly baked pita bread, hummus, shawarma as well as an array of vegetarian options. Be sure to pop in! eatout.co.ke/marrakech

KAHAWA POWER Your daily dose of caffeine and pastries at Brioche.

If freshly baked pastries and a steaming cup of coffee sounds like your morning, you need to head down to Brioche- Table d’hôte at the Watermark Business Park in Karen. Open everyday from 7am to 10pm, you’ll always have your appetite taken care of, whether you’re there on business, catching up on a book or getting together with friends. eatout.co.ke/brioche

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NEWS & YUMMY EVENTS

DEAR MAMA It’s all about celebrating Mother’s Day at Ole Sereni Mother’s Day is fast approaching and if you’re on the hunt for ideas to treat mummy dearest, be sure to make your reservation at Ole Sereni Hotel along Mombasa Road. You’ll be happy to know that all mothers will enjoy a 25% discount on Sunday brunch, plus a complimentary cocktail. What’s more, there’s an extended dessert buffet for all and a 15% discount on game drives for all mums. eatout.co.ke/events

LUCKY DAY An evening sampling only the finest Israeli wines Friday the 13th just got lucky as for only Ksh 2,500, you will get to experience eight wines from the finest wineries in Israel complete with exclusive appetizers during the journey, all courtesy of Golan Heights Winery. Taking place at Vihiga close, Kileleshwa, RSVP to noam@barakaholyland.com to secure your spot! eatout.co.ke/events

BAKE SALE It’s all about cake at the 2016 Cake Festival It’s back! If you love cake, make your way to Kenya Wildlife Service on 11th June from 10 am to try out different flavours from your favourite bakeries! There will be lots of desserts, pastries and fun activities that your whole family is bound to love. eatout.co.ke/events

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COFFEE

MOCHA OATMEAL COOKIES Ingredients • • • • • • • • •

6 tbsp butter ½ cup brown sugar ½ tsp vanilla extract 1 egg 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda ¼ tsp salt ½ cup quick oats 2 tbsp instant coffee dissolved in 2 tsp boiling water

Method In a bowl, sift flour with salt and baking soda and keep aside. In a different bowl, beat the butter with sugar then add vanilla, egg and coffee. Add the flour mixture and combine, then add the oats and continue mixing. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

Take a heaping teaspoon from the dough and place on the baking sheet. Wet your fingers with cold water and press the cookies down. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 10 minutes, but if you like your cookies a little crispy, bake for 12 minutes.

Once the cookies are cool, enjoy with a cup of Dormans Espresso coffee.

DORMANS KAHAWA DIARIES HOW I TAKE MY COFFEE WITH TATIANA KARANJA Tatiana Karanja, 24, is part of the new wave of young and talented Kenyan photographers out to capture beautiful images of the world around them.

How do you prefer to take your coffee?

I like it strong with a bit of almond milk. On days when I have none, I just use regular milk.

Favourite pastry?

I can’t get enough of anything sweet but if I have to chose on the spot, I would go for either mille-feuille or a chocolate croissant.

How many cups of coffee do you have in a day?

I have just one cup on most days.

What’s your morning routine?

Morning routine, what is that? (laughs). No day is ever like the next because I freelance and

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therefore get to set my own hours, except when I have a project.

What’s the best thing about being a photographer?

I really enjoy getting to travel and meeting different types of people on the job.

Favourite subject to shoot?

That would be landscapes, hands down!

Favourite shoot you’ve done this year?

My favourite shoot this year has to be when I recently went to Lamu on a girls trip courtesy of Visiter l’Afrique. We got to share our journey on social media and had so much fun indulging in delicious food, meeting great people and trying out water sports- even though I had a broken leg and it was on a cast the whole time!

Drop by your nearest Dormans Coffee Shop at Junction • Village Market • AirKenya • Westgate Like us on Facebook @DormansCoffeeShops

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THE FOOD YUMMY LIFE

CHEERS TO THAT Charity Keita is hell bent on cutting through the noise and understanding what all the fuss about wine pairing actually is.

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ine labels, wine snobs, wine connoisseurs, sommeliers, pretentious people who make you feel uncomfortable about your lack of wine knowledge, books that want to make you more knowledgable: sometimes the noise surrounding fermented grape juice is enough to make you want to scream.

Then again, when something has been around for significantly longer than the cultures that define us—six millennia by some accounts, it should not come as a surprise that people like to wax lyrical about it.

For years I have known that white wine is good with fish, red wine is good with red meat and rose is a bit of a wild card but safe to say it’s nice with ice on a hot summer day or with salmon (not that I eat salmon in Kenya, I find the fact that it is flown in

all the way from Norway off-putting, but I digress).

Then the other day I started to wonder what all this actually meant: why are some wines good with some foods and not with others?

Intent on putting the matter to rest once and for all, I headed to the one place I know I can get easy answers about wine: 63 Wines, my absolute favourite wine shop in Nairobi. Now I’m sure there are wine shops here that are as equally well stocked, but what keeps me going back is their delightful and knowledgeable employees who somehow always make the experience memorable whether I’m buying a reasonably priced white for dinner with my beau or something special to impress my friends. On this fine day, I found to my good fortune that the till was being manned (womaned?) by Anita, a self-taught wine enthusiast who

intends to become a sommelier in the not too distant future. Anita was all too happy to propose a solution to my wine dilemma: she informed me that what I needed to do was conduct a food pairing exercise. In order to do so, she suggested four wines for me to buy: sparkling, white, rose and a red. Next she instructed me to buy a series of different foodstuffs that needed to fall into several clear taste classifications: something salty (I chose salami), something sweet (raspberries and chocolate ice-cream), something sour (sour strawberries), something umami (a simple sirloin steak), something bitter (pickled garlic and a mustard leaf salad from our garden) and something fatty (I wasn’t aware that fatty was a taste but under Anita’s instruction got a brie cheese).

Armed with my wine and food, I invited a small handful of friends over and kicked off the experiment.

Starting with the sparkling, a Brut Chardonnay to be exact, the objective was to take a nibble of each food stuff followed by a sip of wine and then for each of us to record the taste sensation on a little note pad. The same procedure was to be followed with the white, the rose’ and the red. Now I’m sure you expect me to tell you what our conclusions were but trust me, this is not something you want to be spoon fed. Enough to say that while we all agreed that the red wine did taste delicious with the steak, there were many contradictory opinions on the rest of the combinations.

This was one of the funnest experiments I’ve ever conducted and we all came out a bit more knowledgeable as a result. In conclusion, my advice to you is try this at home; you will not regret.

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KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL

THE PERFECT PAIR When it comes to pairing food and wine, one of the main rules that seems logical to Chef Ray Cournede is matching wines to dishes that originate from the same region.

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ust like everything in life, wine is a matter of personal preference. You either like a wine or you don’t. I believe it can be just as important to pair the right wine with the right person, not just the right food.

When it comes to wine, Kenya has had such a long and arduous journey to get to where we are today.

Thankfully, the dark days of Gato Negro, Versus and Frontera being our only options are far behind us. We are now a nation of wine lovers, and this is particularly evident in the number of specialty wine bars and retailers popping up all over our capital.

Because of all this innovation and modernity, however, we are faced with an even bigger challenge to try sift through the mass of information,

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opinions, suggestions and wines. Just Google the subject and you find a million ‘experts’ telling you what to drink, when to drink it, how to drink it and what to drink it with. It has become a truly confusing subject and the basics are getting lost in all this noise.

When it comes to pairing, one of the main rules that seems logical to me as a chef is matching wines to produce or dishes that originate from the same region. Hundreds of years of cuisine and wines evolving side by side cannot be wrong together. There is a natural and organic relationship between traditional food and wine that undoubtedly compliments each other, hence regional matches provide a fundamental base for us to understand more about what’s going

on structurally with pairings. Imagine Tuscan wine and Tuscan food or a rich, velvety Burgundy with that Coq au Vin. When working on our upcoming Sicilian week (31st May to 5th of June) here in the Talisman kitchen, we started by creating the menu.

Once we had all the recipes, we then started to pair them with some of the amazing wines from the guys at Out of Sicily.

I like to do the pairing myself.

The process behind it is simple. It is exactly the same as when I am creating a new dish. The balance of flavours and their compatibility is key, and this is something any good chef knows how to do. As a basic rule, delicate flavours go with delicate wines, and strong flavors with strong wines. You don’t want to overpower

your fish carpaccio, just as you need a wine that will stand up to your slow roasted lamb shank. Artichokes and asparagus contain chemicals that change the taste of wine on the palate. The same goes for fish and seafood, which contain iodine that reacts with the tannins in red wine.

The reason reds generally will go well with meat is because those same tannins will cut through the intensity of the fat in red meat and rejuvenate the palate.

Now, if all of this still makes you break out into a panic induced sweat, here are four wines that go with almost everything. For white wines try a Pinot Grigio or a Chenin Blanc, for red go for a Pinot Noir or a Barbera.

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WELL GRAZED Susan Wong’s rave review of Graze Restaurant at Sankara Nairobi can only be described as a poetic ode to good steak, equally good wine and flawless service.

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magine a world without steak and wine. I mean it: just sit there, glance over the menu to your right and think about a world without a juicy, seasoned, aged, flavourful and well-marbled steak - a steak that has been anointed with olive oil and seared over charcoal to the colour of dark caramel, the warm fat crunching and dissolving all over your tongue.

Now try thinking of a world without wine: is there anything that can rival the complexity and pleasure of a glass of the finest expressions of a soil that exudes a sense of place? Awful, isn’t it?

More to the point, think of a world in which everyone chooses to order rubbery well-done steak swimming in sauce for compensation. This is not a world I wish to live in. Recently I was brooding on all this while I plunged into the world of steaks at Graze, a New York-style steakhouse nestled on the first floor of Sankara Nairobi.

RESTAURANT REVIEW

I stared at the charred bone and had to fight back the compulsion to gnaw on it…oh, my.

Thankfully a rush of waiters walked past our table singing Happy Birthday, reminding me that this was neither the time nor place.

Graze is a stunning room which deserves something grand such as a steakhouse experience that rivals those in New York. From its days as a pan-Asian affair, the whole place has now been revamped. There are moody black and white photographs on the walls featuring New York City and its many iconic structures where arguably some of the best steaks in the world can be found.

Graze is a contemporary take on a traditional steakhouse: the starters and sides are less of an afterthought, and excel in both charm and char. At the entrance is a long, glass-fronted contemporary gas fireplace that comes alive once the sun goes down. Beyond the dining area, which features dark oak wood paneling, comfortable banquettes and high-back chairs, is a small terrace perfect for intimate meals. Heavy black oak tables finished with marble continue the modern, sophisticated

and straightforward theme – akin to that of the menu. The chef’s table is tucked away in front of an earthy wall of mounted branches to the right of the open kitchen.

First, there was a delicate dish of Hot Smoked Salmon that arrived charred with a carefully rolled-up pickled shaving of cucumber and a fish roe topping. Paired with a glass of Journey’s End Chardonnay 2011 from South Africa, its rich and full body complemented the delicate portion of fatty fish. I watched my companion unknowingly close her eyes and sink into her chair as she enjoyed the Josper oven-fired Jumbo Prawns with lemon herb butter. Transported to gourmand heaven, only the zesty, flinty and crisp glass of 2015 Rietvellei Sauvignon Blanc kept her conscious.

Graze serves steaks the old fashioned way, dry aged for 21 days, allowing the meat to become tender

through enzymic process and develop complex flavours, similar to the way that wine is produced. The stunning medium-rare 900g of Josper-fired Tomahawk – ribeye on bone – resembling a fireman’s axe, arrived to the table on a wooden tray. I stared at the charred bone and had to fight back the compulsion to gnaw on it; thankfully a rush of waiters walked past our table singing Happy Birthday, reminding me that this was neither the time nor place.

A bone-in rib eye requires nothing more than some flakes of salt, a couple of cracks of pepper, charcoal embers, hot grill (in this case, a Josper) and a glass of 2012 Sankara Dalla Cia blend from when the hotel received the ‘Wine Spectator Award of Excellence.’ To make it even more sublime though, personally I prefer a slight smear of tongue-tickling specialty house barbeque sauce—a little something to cut through all that

richness and accentuate that delicious char. Looking forward to finishing the evening on a high note, I couldn’t wait to hide my face in the elegant Warm Chocolate Fondant with Macadamia Ice Cream which came paired with Pierre Jourdan Brut NV. The steak was the resounding highlight of the evening, though the flawless service was a close second.

At the end of the meal, I tried to imagine a world without steak and wine. It was simply impossible. From raw to well-done, there’s a different way to cook various cuts of meat.

The fat distribution of some cuts may require more cooking, but well-done – never. That would be an absolute violation. But you know what: whether you fancy well-done or something gentler and more flavourful, it’s your call. After all, it’s your “perfect” steak, not mine.

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A serious foodie who has bestowed his patronage on more restaurants than you could shake a stick at, Murungi insists that France has to be his favourite food destination.

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CHEF PROFILE

TEXT FRED MWITHIGA PHOTOS VI’ENLE PHOTOGRAPHY

BREW MASTER We chat with master brewer and chef, Alan Murungi, the brains behind the success of the elegant French brasserie- Sierra.

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lan Murungi, head chef, master brewer and CEO of Sierra Brasserie — a delightful terrace restaurant nestled on the second floor of Yaya Centre, is a man with a taste for adventure and a passion for quality. All this becomes obvious from the moment you walk into his establishment and listen to the soft and soulful jazz playing in the background and take in the cloaked wood tables, black seats and brick wall which is inspired, he says, by a trip he once took to New York.

Murungi’s journey began in Bangkok while dining at a Sushi bar with a friend. The place served homebrewed beer paired with fresh sushi and the experience made such an impression on him, it set him on a personal voyage that eventually saw him signing up for a Master Brewers program at the University of California. One year down the line, he was managing a brewery at a local restaurant in San Francisco, where he honed his brewing skills and and became determined to set up his own restaurant before moving back to Kenya.

A serious foodie who has bestowed his patronage on more restaurants than you could shake a stick at,

Murungi insists that France has to be his favourite food destination.

The French are big on quality and attention to detail and, he insists, you can’t be a chef if you don’t consider both. Having dined at restaurants which include the Test Kitchen in South Africa and a variety of three Michelin star establishments in France and Hong Kong, his exposure to different cuisines and styles of cooking have greatly inspired his palate and ultimately his menu.

“There is no such thing as the perfect burger, only an ideal one” he is keen to underline. His menu focuses on the classics and he describes his burgers as little steaks on buns. All the meat used at Sierra to create their widely popular burgers and steaks comes from his farm.

They use cuts of pure angus, age the meat for 21 days and use a secret blend of ingredients, which took him a year to develop, in their mince meat patties. They also make their own mayonnaise, tomato chutney and more recently: their buns, which are inspired by a burger restaurant he once visited in France. Sierra’s bacon and cheese burger is the stuff of legends: a simple yet innovative bacon and onion chutney evenly spread across the patty ensures that

your last bite has the same amount of bacon as your first.

As much as he is a man of brew, Murungi’s knowledge of fine wines is not to be frowned at. He sources his wines directly from vineyards in South Africa and boasts an impressive selection that can easily cater to the most discerning of wine enthusiasts.

He does skew slightly towards cabernets, which is fine when you remember the objective here is to eat succulent steaks. However, should you decide on ordering the Nile perch, crisp and floral whites can be suggested as an accompaniment.

For the perfect dinner with your significant other, Murungi recommends a medium rare rib eye steak dressed in their famous truffled mushroom sauce accompanied with a bottle of Titanic cabernet sauvignon.

His last meal, however, will forever be sushi- tuna to be exact, and a cold refreshing glass of his very own brewed Sierra Blonde.

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MAIN FEATURE

NEW VS OLD After our wine issue in 2015, this year we aim to give you an overview of the wines of the world by focusing on countries from the Old World and New World, in a bid to make wine selection as easy as possible. When talking about Old World wine, people principally refer to Italy, France, Spain, the rest of Europe and the Mediterranean basin. New World wines originate from countries that at one point or another were colonised by the European powers. Top amongst these we find the U.S.A., Argentina, Chile and South Africa. All these are explored in the following pages.

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LES VIGUIERS COTES DU RHONE ROSE Ksh 1,300 Cherry, wild strawberry and white fruit aromas with a slightly peppery finish. Pair with grilled vegetables, veal cutlet à la crème, fish and fresh goat cheese. facebook.com/LeDecanter

PLANETA CHARDONNAY Ksh 3,800 Aromas of peach, apple, white figs, vanilla cream and meringue. Soft, round, energetic, full and fresh on the palate with a substantial body. Good match for smoked fish, meat and cheese. facebook.com/outofitaly

PLANETA SANTA CECILIA Ksh 3,800 Sour fruit and ripe plum with citrus, liquorice and a hint of graphite at the finish. Pair with meat, lamb, roast loin of pork in milk and pasta with glazed meat sauce. facebook.com/outofitaly

ORTAS CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE Ksh 4,800 This french wine appellation has notes of red fruits, liquorice and spices. It also shows silky and elegant tannins and is gutsy enough to stand up to steak and game. facebook.com/LeDecanter

ERARD SALMON CUVEE PRESTIGE Ksh 4,900 Buy this champagne for special occasions and celebrations. It is light and fruity with medium bubbles, citrus flavours and is creamy with hints of caramel. facebook.com/LeDecanter

AIX ROSE Ksh 5,500 Aromas of raspberry, red currant and acacia honey, with flavours of apples, spice and citrus. Pair with light salads, grilled fish, white meat and Asian food. eatout.co.ke/artcaffe

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OLD WORLD WINES

Old World wines are made following strict guidelines, striving to maintain the traditional approach to winemaking that has been around for centuries. They are lighter-bodied, more restrained and lower in alcohol. In this section you will also find some of our favourite bottles from featured regions that you can easily buy in Nairobi.

ITALY

Ancient Romans were absolutely taken by wine and it was an integral part of their diet. Thanks to the Roman empire, almost all the wine producing areas of Western Europe were established during that time. Around the time of the birth of Christ, winemaking was so popular it was beginning to affect the production of food and the emperor was forced to uproot vineyards and outlaw the planting of new ones to make space for grain production. Although the Roman Empire collapsed around 500AD, the Roman Catholic Church continued to make it as it was essential for performing the sacred mass.

In modern times, Italian wine acquired international notoriety after the Second World War when it was aggressively marketed as what is today known as lesser wines to the USA. At the time it was better known for quantity rather than quality, a reputation that over the second half of the twentieth century it fought hard to overturn with the introduction of good quality wines.

To control the quality of their wine, Italians have devised systems and tags to control the quality of a vineyard. When choosing your Italian wine keep in mind that the certification falls into three categories of decreasing strictness: DOCG (controlled and guaranteed designation of origin); seeing this on your label means the producers followed the strictest possible regulations in the making of that wine. DOC (controlled designation of origin) covers almost every traditional Italian wine style and IGT (typical geographical indication) focuses on the region of origin rather than the grape varieties used. Vino da Tavola means table wine and represents the most basic level of Italian wines.

Major Italian white wines include Pinot Grigio (light bodied, dry, crisp),

Asti (sweet, low in alcohol, fruity and floral flavours) and Verdicchio (medium bodied, dry, mineral flavour) while major reds include Chianti (medium bodied, very dry, moderate tannins), Brunello di Montalcino (full bodied, intense, strong tannins) and Amarone (full bodied, dry but with a concentrated fruitiness that suggests sweetness).

FRANCE

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A commonly held misconception is that the Romans brought wine to France. While they helped boost the production of wine across the country, grape pips have been found that predate both the Greeks and the Romans.

The Romans were mainly responsible for encouraging the production of wine in the Southern regions of France.

In the 19th century, following a period in which explorers would bring back botanical species from around the world, new diseases were inadvertently introduced into France which resulted in ailments than virtually decimated the French wine industry. This period culminated at the turn of the 20th century when phylloxera, a tiny little aphid that came from the USA devastated France’s vineyards by attacking the roots of the vines. Ironically the solution to the problem also came from America which had vines that could resist the bug. The French grafted their vines onto the American stock and gradually managed to return to their earlier production levels.

Have you ever looked at a French wine and just shuddered? What does it all mean you ask yourself before simply settling for the cheapest/ most expensive one on offer. It is true, French wine labels contain a lot of information but it doesn’t have to be quite so mysterious. Here is some of what you should note to make your life that little bit easier:

Blanc: White.

Brut: Dry sparkling wine.

Cuvee: A blend of wines.

Grand vin: A winery’s best wine.

Millésime: Year of harvest (vintage).

Mis en bouteille au château: Estate-bottled.

Réserve: In theory, a better-quality wine, although it’s a term anyone can use for any wine.

Rouge: red.

Sec: Dry. Vieilles vignes: Old vines.

Appellation: Where in France the wine came from. French appellations follow three tiers: AOC (Appellation d’Origine Controlee) indicating origin, quality and style, Vin de Pays, similar to IGT focuses exclusively on geographical origin and Vin de France which replaced the category of Vin de Table in 2010 and is the most basic tier for French wine, with grapes that can originate from anywhere in the country.

Château: A wine estate.

Cru: A vineyard, village area or wine estate.

Domaine: A smaller wine estate than a château Grand cru: Represents a region’s highest quality vineyard or vineyard area Grand cru classé: An officially classified ‘top property’ wine estate.

SPAIN By some accounts grapes were first cultivated here around 4000 to 3000BC. The Romans conquerors were so impressed with Spanish wine that they would import it to their troops in France, Britain and Germany.

With the end of the Roman Empire a period of stagnation took hold and we know little of what wine was produced. We do however know that the Moorish conquerors were fond of eating dried grapes (raisins) so they allowed people to continue producing wines. Upon “discovering” the new

world, Christopher Columbus set about bringing vines on his journeys.

Eventually, however, the Spanish attempted to halt wine production in the colonies because it was effecting Spanish exportation. The Industrial Revolution saw Spanish wine exports diminish as the technology wasn’t up to par, but the phylloxera blight in France helped boost production again, albeit for just a few decades.

The second half of the 20th century saw international curiosity turn towards the Jerez and Rioja producing regions and after the death of the dictator Franco in 1975, the wine industry picked up in earnest.

Spanish vineyards cover the highest percentage of land of any country in the world. They however remain the third largest producer in the world due to low vine yields and wide spacing of vines planted on what is mainly dry and infertile soil. Some of the biggest wine producing Spanish regions are: Rioja: Historically the country’s major red wine region. Three-quarters of Rioja’s wine is red, 15% rosé and 10% white. The principal grape in Rioja is Tempranillo, Spain’s greatest red variety. Regulations however permit another three varieties for reds — Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo.

Ribera del Duero: One of Spain’s most dynamic wine regions. Perhaps nowhere else in the world does the Tempranillo grape variety reach such heights, making wines with body, deep colour and finesse.

Penedés is in Catalonia: Home of most Spanish sparkling wines known as Cava.

The Rías Baixas region of Galicia: Rapidly gaining acclaim for its exciting white wine, Albariño.

Toro: In northwest Spain, quickly emerging as one of its best red wine regions. Toro’s climate and soil are ideal for making powerful, tannic red wines — mainly from the Tempranillo grape variety.

Rueda: West of Ribera del Duero, produces one of Spain’s best white wines from the Verdejo grape. The wine is clean and fresh, has good fruit character and is inexpensive.

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NEW WORLD WINES

New World wines tend to be higher in alcohol, are fuller bodied and have bold and fruity flavours. Winemakers under this classification are happy to get experimental and eagerly take advantage of modern advances in the making of their fermented grape juices. Be sure to get yourself one of our suggested bottles!

CALIFORNIA While the Romans were great at expanding wine production around Europe, it was the Spanish who brought it further afield and ensured that it was produced on every corner of their New World colonies. Thus it was the Franciscan monks who are said to have first planted grapes in California in the late 18th century.

The grapes were planted at Mission San Juan Capistrano near Los Angeles and were named Mission grapes. The first Californian harvest dates back 1782 when Southern California was the heart of the early wine industry and settlers planted vineyards along the banks of the Los Angeles River. In the 1870s, there were so many grapevines that Los Angeles was nicknamed the “City of Vines.”

Production shifted to San Francisco in the 1890s, when wine houses dominated the industry. San Francisco’s temperate climate, with its summers cooled by fog, made it an ideal place to store wine. By the 1890s, there were more than 100 wine houses in the city.

ABC (Anything But Chardonnay): if you’ve never heard someone say this before, you probably will one day. The origins of the statement hawk back to the 1990s when California started churning out large volumes of cheap chardonnay that tasted sickly sweet and overly oaky rather than crisp, light and fruity.

Historically, Chardonnay became ubiquitous as a result of two factors: first, unique amongst varieties, Chardonnay will thrive anywhere you

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can ripen grapes. Second, Chardonnay produced in France before the phylloxera epidemic was considered the greatest, most expensive and highly regarded white wine of all.

When you encounter someone who vehemently rejects Chardonnay, it is likely that they have come across too many cheap pineapple-chunk flavoured with a hint of fake oak varieties. There are still a lot of big, rich and over the top Chardonnays out there today but that does not mean that’s all there is to it. Each year more unoaked Chardonnays are produced and they are crisp, zingy and full of character. Today, it is the best-selling wine in America, red or white. Americans consume over 840,000 bottles per year.

Owning a vineyard is all the rage amongst modern celebrities. Famous vineyard owners in California include: Francis Ford Coppola, David and Victoria Beckham, Drew Barrymore, Fergie and Lil John.

CHILE

merlot. This discovery lead to a boom in Chilean wine production and a newfound respect across the world, and the country now strives to develop luxury wines and take advantage of its climate to create some of the world’s best organic varieties. The valleys of Chile receive an ideal combination of soil, sunlight, temperature and humidity and its vines have the advantage of being able to resist infestation due to the natural geographic barriers that have long protected the country from the arrival of Phylloxera and other diseases.

Chile’s climate ranges from hot and dry in the north to cold and wet in the south. Average rainfall varies dramatically by region with ranges from just two inches in the Elqui Valley to more than 50 inches in southern coastal regions. Mountainous climate helps create a wide temperature variation between day and night, which is vital in maintaining the grapes’ acidity levels.

Major reds produced here are Carmenere, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir.

Major whites are Chardonnay, Pedro Ximenez, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Sémillon, Viognier and Muscat of Alexandria.

SOUTH AFRICA A relative newcomer on the global stage, Chileans have in fact been producing wine since the Spanish brought vines with them in the mid 1500s. Before the 1990s however, the country was only really known for producing affordable sauvignon blancs and cabernet sauvignons. The carmenère grape was a French variety that was thought to have been wiped out during the phylloxera epidemic, until a group of French scientists discovered it had survived in Chile under the guises of being a simple

SOUTH AFRICA Unlike the previously discussed New World wines which were all grown to satisfy the demand of local populations, wine production in South Africa

began as a way to quench the thirst of Dutch sailors who in the 17th century would stop in Cape Town en route to India. It is reported that these wines were pretty unpalatable so in 1679 the Governor of Cape Town took it upon himself to plant a vineyard in his farm Constantia. The resulting wine was very sweet and became the famous dessert wine of the day.

Despite its distance from Europe, during the 19th century, South Africa was not spared from the phylloxera epidemic which completely obliterated its vineyards and much of the 20th century saw the country isolated due to Apartheid-related boycotts. When the market finally opened up at the end of the 20th century, less than 30% of all the grapes harvested were used for wine aimed at the consumer market, with the remaining 70% being discarded, distilled into brandy or sold as table grapes and juice. By 2003 these proportions had reversed with more than 70% of the harvest that year reaching the consumer market as wine.

The Cape winelands are found at the Southernmost tip of Africa and enjoy a Mediterranean climate with cool, wet winters and warm dry summers.

The mountain slopes and valleys form an ideal habitat for the wine grape, Vitis Vinifera, and the sea breezes from the Atlantic and Indian oceans cool the vineyards during the warm summer afternoons. This results in a long ripening process which creates a series of intense fruit flavours that make South African wines really stand out. The top five grape varieties here are Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Colombard, Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc. Kenya actually imports more South African wine than any other sub-Saharan African country.

FOUR COUSINS NATURAL SWEET RED Ksh 675 Ripe plums, strawberries and exotic spices followed by a soft lingering finish, with aromas of soft rose petal. Get it for Ksh 675 at Slater & Whittaker to pair with spicy food, desserts and fruit salad. facebook.com/SlaterAndWhittaker

KWV CHENIN BLANC Ksh 835 Aromas of freshly cut grass, canned peas, ripe paw paw with hints of guava, and is vibrant and fresh with linear acidity and an enduring finish. Pair with salads, sushi, seafood and white meat. facebook.com/SlaterAndWhittaker

SPIER CHENIN BLANC Ksh 1,000 Crisp and fruity with green guava, pear, apple and hints of litchi on the nose. Serve with crispy bacon, feta and shredded spinach salad, tender fillet of sole in parsley butter or creamy goat’s cheese, sushi, pasta and pizza facebook.com/TheNairobiWineGallery

CDD CABERNET SAUVIGNON Ksh 1,145 Cherry, plum and coffee aromas with strong tannins that end elegant and juicy. Perfect accompaniment to red meat, lamb ribs and spicy stews. viva-global.net

WINEMASTER’S RESERVE MERLOT Ksh 1,635 Well rounded with aromas of plums and blackcurrant with red fruit flavors and elegant tannins. Pair with roast beef. facebook.com/Nederburg-EA

OAK RIDGE CHARDONNAY Ksh 2,200 Aromas of fresh apple and pear notes with a hint of honeysuckle blossom. It gives a soft mouthfeel of creamy vanilla and toasty oak, and can be paired with seafood, tilapia and roasted chicken. eatout.co.ke/salt-bar-grill

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SPECIAL FEATURE YUMMY

TEXT MELISSA AKOTH PHOTO RODRIGO GOMEZ

WINE AMBASSADOR H.E. Bibiana Lucila Jones is the Argentinian ambassador to Kenya. She has been in the country for only two years having previously been posted in Algeria. She is as serious as she is fun loving and can instantly make one feel at ease, a skill honed from being a diplomat.

We chat about everything, from her favourite restaurants in Nairobi right down to the latest movie she watched, which happens to be Burnt with Bradley Cooper playing Chef Adam Jones. Eventually, the conversation comes down to our favourite subject, one one which she knows quite a lot about; wine Which came first- being an ambassador or a sommelier?

I am a career diplomat and joined the service around 35 years ago. When I lived in London (which was our main wine market) as a Junior Diplomat, the ambassador then used to have regular dinners with a British Sommelier explaining our wines etc. That piqued my interest, and when I got back to Argentina after a couple of years, I decided to take a 1 ½ year course. I was in class with mostly young people, so that was also fun!

Do you currently get to do anything as a sommelier?

Taking this up started as a hobby, and I unfortunately don’t get to do as much with my knowledge as I would love to. I do however host regular wine tastings with small groups of friends and social acquaintances. Just

last month, we hosted our annual Malbec World Day at Capital Club to introduce people to Argentinian wines. I also just enjoy knowing about wine.

What’s your favourite wine which you think is underrated in Kenya?

I don’t actually have a favourite, because what I drink depends on a lot of other factors like the food it’s been paired with. Argentina’s emblematic grape variety is La Torrontés but I also really love Sauvignon Blanc for the freshness, herbal aromas, etc. Of course, Our most famous would be Malbec which tends to have robust tannins and a dark colour. It came from France, but after the phylloxera epidemic and all vineyards were killed, it got into Argentina in the late 19th century and found its terroir.

Do you drink beer or cocktails?

I do. Kenya is very famous for Tusker!

But it generally depends on the country as some have more beer than others. Some oriental food like Thai cuisine also goes well with beer. I like that younger people even in Kenya are today getting interested in wines, while before it was mostly beer.

Do you cringe anytime you see someone pair a merlot with salmon for instance?

Palates are different, and I believe one should do whatever works for them.

Forget the rules. Wine is something you get acquainted to and if you find a variety that you like and prefer to reach for all the time, just go for it.

How can one start a personal collection?

It all depends on your budget. Find

bottles with a good ratio of quality and price. You shouldn’t seek to buy highly priced bottles when you’re struggling to pay your rent for instance. It can cost as much as you are willing to invest. Enthusiasts have been known to invest in getting the right cellar or vault for storage, insurance, security, having their collection appraised and more. You should however start small and not lose focus on what you like. Do you like reds or whites? What do you like eating, and will this wine do the food justice? You should also be curious and experiment. I have actually found some really good white Kenyan wines from Leleshwa. Actually, I believe that life is too short to keep a wine for special occasions. Every day is a special occasion, and you don’t know what might happen tomorrow!

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SPECIAL FEATURE

CHEAT SHEET There’s a lot more to becoming a wine connoisseur than tossing back a glass.

Luckily, this infographic should have you sipping like an oenophile in no time.

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ADVERTORIAL

GATO NEGRO SEMI SWEET RED Ksh 750 This medium bodied Chilean wine gives blackcurrant and blackberry with spicy notes on the nose, with a ripe fruit flavour and smooth tannins leading to a pleasant finish. Pair it with fruit desserts, tarts and strong cheeses.

BERRY BUSH ROSÉ Ksh 850 This South African wine has Turkish delight and rosewater aromas, with strawberry and spice flavours on the palate. It is the perfect accompaniment to sushi, smoked salmon, smoked chicken salad and soft creamy cheese.

LONG ROW MOSCATO Ksh 990 A sweet, crisp and fresh Australian wine bursting with aromatic grape flavours. It is the perfect accompaniment to Asian cuisine, but can also be enjoyed on its own.

35 SOUTH CABERNET SAUVIGNON Ksh 1,190 A sweet Chilean wine with red fruit aromas and fresh notes leading to elegant tannins and a long pleasant finish. Pair it with duck and mature cheeses.

BOSCHENDAL RACHEL’S CHENIN BLANC Ksh 1,350 South African wine with exotic mango, apricot and pineapple aromas. On the palate, there is a core of fruit with hints of nuts and honey. Pair with lightly curried mussels, chicken or fish casserole.

1865 SINGLE VINEYARD SYRAH Ksh 3,691 This wine from Chile has ripe and spicy aromas of blackberry, cherry, candied plums, chocolate and blonde tobacco. It has a great structure and is fruity with pleasant acidity, smooth tannins and a long finish. Pair with roast lamb, strong cheese or steak.

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ADVERTORIAL

OUT OF SICILY EatOut’s Soni Adriance pops into this quaint and charming wine shop to find out more about the business of Italian wines.

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n the ground floor of Muthaiga Shopping Centre lies a small and intimate specialty wine retail show room, Out of Sicily. Nebiat Tekle Corino, the owner and store manager, opened this spot in March 2012 after a visit to Sicily where she fell in love with the wines there. Her passion and excitement is apparent, and she is extremely well versed in Italian terroirs and grape varietals despite having no formal training. With bottles ranging from ksh 1,100 to ksh 23,000; Nebiat aims to bring the best drinks from the wineries in the top terroir regions of Italy to Kenya. To do this, she visits Italian wineries about once every six months growing relationships with

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the different companies and learning about trends and new wines that are being produced.

A specialty store like Nebiat’s might seem intimidating yet her approach is familial. A guest book sits on her desk with rave reviews from customers who’ve been visiting her shop for years. “For anyone who comes here, we go further than simply giving details of the wines they’re purchasing”, she states. “If someone is having a dinner party, they’ll call us and tell us the menu they have planned then ask for suggestions of wines to pair each dish with, and we’re happy to help them with that”. They further ensure that the suggested wine is within the customer’s price range. It’s this kind

of intimate service that encourages return visits from their loyal customers.

Over the last 20 to 25 years, Italian viticulturists have changed their image of producing simple table wines. Today, they are able to compete on the global stage. Nebiat informs me that in Sicily, this was primarily due to a man named Diego Planeta who set up the Planeta wineries whose products are Out of Sicily’s signature range. Planeta is a series of boutique wineries in six different terroirs around Sicily which have ideal conditions for particular grape varietals, and Nebiat stocks their whole range of wines.

The store also stocks a small range of authentic Italian foods that pair

with the wines on offer. At the time of my visit, Nebiat had olive oil, truffle pasta and truffle chocolates which she’s happy to pair with wines bought by customers. They also host wine tastings about four to five times a year; almost every time she brings in a new wine, she’ll invite people to come in to try them.

If you’re a regular at this quaint wine shop, my apologies, cat’s out the bag. If you’re planning on stopping by anytime soon, here are Nebiat’s favourite wines she currently stocks and a good starting point for your next visit: Planeta Syrah (Red), Planeta la Segreta (White) and Planeta Rosé.

Salute!

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WINE CHIC(K)

YUMMY

HOME GROWN For her birthday, Annabel Onyango drives down to Brown’s Cheese Farm in Limuru for a leisurely afternoon of wine, cheese and fresh ice cream.

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work in the fashion industry. It’s a career that often lives up to its stereotype – rivalry, cattiness, undercutting, plagiarism, narcissism, dodgy labour practices, wanton consumption, aggressive commercialism and plenty of hard-partying options. You’re trying to sell concepts and tangible things to people all the time. It’s generally a life as far removed from “organic” as you can imagine. So competitive and surface-level can fashion sometimes be, that you forget that there’s a whole other world out there that’s less plastic and shiny and more grounded and earthy.

When my birthday crept up on me, I decided it would be an ideal time to take a break from the usual. Note how I said “break” and not “escape”. I love

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my job way too much to abscond. It may have something to do with my gradual but steady approach into middle-age, but doing something entirely different from dressing up and going out was as appealing to me as ever.

The road to the Browns Cheese Farm in Limuru seemed like an endless one. For years I had attempted to book a lunch there; either they were fully booked, or my nonstop schedule of social and professional commitments just wouldn’t allow. As we navigated our way through the Tigoni countryside, I was surprised that the actual way there wasn’t as treacherous as I’d envisaged.

The farm is also smaller than I’d imagined– a compact family operation where factory and homestead

converge into one. The house is simple and rustic but tasteful. The garden (where lunch and drinks are served) is a grassy gem with two dogs sprawled in the sunshine. Inside the factory where the cheese is made– everything is done using natural processes, all by hand. No chemicals.

The chief input, milk, is sourced from farmers in the surrounding area.

Lunch was my favourite – a great big cheese board paired with chutneys and jams, home-baked rustic breads and crackers, and a glass of Sparkling Steen for me. Quoting Delia Stirling of Brown’s Cheese: “Sparkling wines, from dry to sweet, almost always work well. Their ample acidity and toasty, nutty flavours compliment cheeses from fresh through aged.”

Lentil soup and warm salads followed.

They cap it off with more wine and a dessert bar of Delia’s organic icecream and sorbet served in mason jars and made from seasonal ingredients grown on the property.

Even in fashion, artisanal production is becoming de rigeur. Consumers want products that are hand-made and have a fair-trade angle. They want goods made from materials sourced locally and by homegrown talent. I regularly buy Leleshwa from my local shop, because a) it’s the least overpriced bottle (I typically buy wine in bulk in a random panic when I realize there’s none left in the pantry) and b) the idea of buying wine made in Kenya gives me a warm fuzzy feeling.

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MAN ABOUT YUMMY TOWN

WHISKY BUSINESS An afternoon of singletons and burgers leads to Jackson Biko and his friend getting into the most trivial of arguments.

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had an argument with a friend of mine while waiting for a burger at Mama Rocks. You know Mama Rocks, right? Come on, you don’t?

Oh, then you should because really: mama rocks. If you know the Alchemist Bar in Westlands then you must know Mama Rocks, because they are conjoined. They sell some fantastic burgers! I could drive in the middle of the night from Ngong Road to go get my favourite West African chicken burger called fela supa. It’s a peanut crusted, auya-spiced, chicken breast with crispy lettuce, tomato and a mild chilli coconut mayonnaise. It goes for about Ksh 750 a pop and is worth every last lettuce in it. I have however never had this burger while

sober, which says more about my drinking than the burger.

Anyway, so my friend and I are standing outside Mama Rocks waiting for our burgers and we are slightly toasted because we have been knocking back Singletons at Saape Lounge and listening to some slow jams. My pal, who is getting more illiterate after each tot of whisky, starts arguing with me about how the Big Cat Diaries was shot. He is convinced that some of the footage was enhanced by special effects, to which I say “bullshit,” thus kicking off a big tipsy debate.

“TV is about special effects, Biko.

Don’t believe that everything you see on there is 100% real,” he keeps

repeating. I keep telling him that it was real and that he should stop referring to me as “guy.” I explain to him that the crew had bunked in the African wilderness for months on end, under rain and sun and day and night, as they shot those cats.

“Guy, you are naive,” he tells me.

“You are an eternal cynic, ruined by modern media and alcohol,” I retort.

Then he says that he knows what he is talking about because he studied sociology so I snort and reply: “sure, because they teach you about special effects in sociology.”

He mumbles something about them teaching “lateral thinking,” adding: “something they don’t teach in journalism class.” That pisses me

off because he is beginning to sound like those oafs who go around telling everyone which university they attended. Who cares, guy?

So back and forth it goes, with him calling me “guy” and me trying very hard not to push him under Mama Rocks kiosk. We get our burgers, find a bench inside Alchemist where we sit and I continue to entertain this drunk sociologist with lateral thinking until I start feeling a side of my brain dying and my intellect slipping through my shoes. So I leave and drive home, shower and before I switch off the bedside lamp, google: “Lateral thinking.”

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YUMMY WELLNESS

SIP

BY SIP Spoiler alert: this article may be a bit of a buzzkill for people who have pantries full of wine and chocolate, eat copious amounts, and consider it part of their health regime.

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’d like to talk about a little underemphasized word in the health world called ‘moderation’. Every topic related to health seems to be linked to an extreme magic bullet that can fix any ailment overnight.

While we would all love to believe the hype that dark chocolate and red wine are antioxidant super-food heroes, the reality may be quite different. This leads to another under-discussed topic in health and wellness media called ‘scientific fact’.

Spoiler alert; this article may be a bit of a buzzkill for people who have pantries full of wine and chocolate, eat copious amounts, and consider it part of their health regime.

The reason red wine has become a media darling in the health world is largely because it contains a polyphenol called reservatrol that has antioxidant properties. In animal

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studies, it has “been linked” to heart health and is said to have antiinflammatory properties. However, human studies are limited and pretty inconclusive. You can find studies that loosely support both sides of the argument. Additionally, wines have a lot of variance when it comes to the quantity of reservatrol they contain, many with insignificant doses to impact health.

The inCHIANTI study (a 16-yearlong look at the blood, urine and dietary questionnaires of hundreds of people living in the Italian winemaking region of Chianti) recently found that resveratrol wasn’t associated with disease or lifespan, to the horror and devastation of wine lovers everywhere. But that doesn’t mean red wine is unhealthy—just that the famed ingredient resveratrol may not deserve all the credit.

Many studies have shown that light alcohol consumption in general has been associated with lower heart disease and lower mortality rates.

Alcohol itself in light doses raises good cholesterol and helps with anticlotting. Since red wine does have antioxidants and certain known health benefits, why not make it the drink of choice.

So what does this mean for white wine drinkers? Not much if reservatrol is not the connection but a lot if it is, as the skins of white grapes contain far les; white wine is typically made only from pulp, but some studies say it has its own benefits. White wine has two strong antioxidants of its own, tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol, also found in olive oil but not in red wine, and are also linked to heart health and low blood pressure.

What is well documented are

the deleterious effects of the consumption of excessive alcohol and what is doesn’t delete is your waistline! Wine and any alcohol in excess can lead to cancer, liver damage, digestive problems, bone loss, heart problems, and the list continues. This leads us right to the old adage “everything in moderation.”

Amy Selbach is the owner of Taut Body Studio in Village Market. She is a holistic health coach, personal trainer and Pilates instructor and creator of the Taut Body program that has helped hundreds of her clients lose weight and change their health completely. She also leads life-design and business incubator workshops for entrepreneurs. www.tautbody.com

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YUMMY

SWAHILI SWAG Ami Doshi Shah jets off to Diani for an unexpected Labour Day weekend.

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YUMMY TRAVEL

TEXT AMI DOSHI SHAH

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YUMMY

With any holiday along the coast, one has to slow down a few gears and start to acclimatize to the pole pole pace of life, which is one of the charms of a beach getaway.

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TRAVEL

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he moisture-laden breeze wove its way lethargically through feathered branches of palm. The Indian Ocean lapped back and forth; barely licking the coral outcrop a few meters away from our balcony allowing the moon illuminate its placid and rhythmic movements. This pace, its unrushed ebb and flow, set the tone for seaside living.

And yet, just stones throw away, the consistent punch of the base jolted me out of the reverie. The glass windows vibrated with the chorus of Guinean musician, Mory Kante’s Yeke Yeke anthem.

We had inadvertently arrived just in time for the biggest party in Diani. A 12 hour rave that began at noon, when the beating sun shone its brightest and ended midnight on the Sunday of Labour Day weekend. Parched revelers pounded sweaty fists into the air while dancing away in the sand. My husband and I, put the our two boys to bed (yes, they miraculously fell asleep) and adopted the mantra, “if we can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” So, like any self-respecting parents would, we raved!

This was how we found ourselves on our second night at Swahili Beach Resort and Spa in Diani. A 140-room property brought to life by acclaimed Austrian architect, Tibor Gaal, of Tamarind Village fame it officially opened in December 2011, amid one of the worst tourism crisis to hit Kenya in the last decade. It’s construction was an ambitious project and certainly garnered debate about changing travel trends and the risk involved in operating large scale resorts along the Kenyan coast, where for a time, Diani, Mombasa, Malindi and Lamu were ghost towns. Hotels shut down or ran at 10- 15% occupancy. The less successful ones still do. Much like a Phoenix dusting off its ashes, the resort opened to rave local and international reviews and is undoubtedly one the most successful and design conscious resorts along the Kenyan coast.

Unerringly loyal to its vision of creating a monument to Swahili architecture, what its owners have achieved from an aesthetic perspective is extremely significant.

From its four-story colonnades that prop the ominous arabesque vaulted ceiling as you enter, to the iwan archways that frame the palm fringed sea in the distance. With a flourish of coastal hospitality on our arrival, we washed away the exhaustion with chilled Eucalyptus infused towels and sipped our ‘dawa sawa’ (the virgin dawa) and drank it ALL in.

We traversed paths snaking through bottle palms, stoic baobabs, Bougainville and frangipani, and just barely managed to stop our boys from cannonballing into the pool. Our room was at a perfect 20 degree Celsius when we walked in, a very significant detail when facing the swel-

tering 40-degree heat outside. A sinewy mahogany writing table and 2 occasional chairs were the only necessary external elements within the room. The rest, including the king size bed and Baraza beds overlooking the balcony were seamlessly built in to the warm hued limed-cement structures within the room.

Hessian toned woolen kilims covered the floor and double doors led straight to the balcony with breathtaking ocean views.

Swahili Beach’s pool is its social and visual centerpiece. A seven tiered jewel, crystal water cascades from the main pool down into the last pool that was flanked by the beach bar and Baharini restaurant.

The kids dug into their crispy wood fired pizzas - which Executive Chef, Jasraj Jandu, tells me are “the best in Diani”.

Heaven.

I grabbed a chance to chat to the Kenyan born and raised Chef Jandu. With three years of experience in the kitchen including Capital Club, Ole Sereni Hotel and Haandi Restaurants, since his tenure at the resort, he says his, “focus has been on streamlining processes, from storage and preserving of the produce to incorporating seasonal ingredients into the various menus.”

Swahili Beach boasts 5 restaurants, with Majlis being the main buffet dining area. Here, soups, delicious salads and traditional Swahili and Indian cuisine are on offer. Freshly made Chapatti, Mandazi, stir fried pasta and a carvery add dimension to the traditional buffet set up. The adjoining a la carte Spice Root restaurant is offers signature Indo-Kenyan delicacies such as Chilly Paneer and Swahili Nilgiri Prawns Masala.

Considering the scale of the resort, the service standards were fairly high, but with any holiday along the coast, one has to slow down a few gears and start to acclimatize to the pole pole pace of life.

One of the charms of going on a beach holiday. Nevertheless, wait staff were always attentive, friendly and helpful.

Until I came to Swahili Beach, I kept asking myself how this, and so many other properties along the Kenyan coast manage to survive. With a trend of travel moving towards smaller, boutique properties and unique travel experiences, how do the larger resorts and hotels survive? I guess the answer really lies in persevering and maintaining the property through the tough times and ensuring that in busy times, that you offer an experience that is timeless and enduring. For us, this certainly was the case; having experienced what I hope is the benchmark for the hospitality industry along the Kenyan coast.

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TRAVEL

We worked with Chef Jandu to carefully select 3 signature recipes for you to try at home. Each hails from Swahili Beach’s three flagship restaurants, Baharini, Spice Root and Zanzibar, incorporating the best seasonal produce available.

Baharini

Spice Route

Zanzibar

This restaurant serves homemade Italian Ice cream, snacks, breakfast, and homemade pizza and pastas.

The charming ambiance is enhanced by palm fibre lamps and local carvings giving it a highly decorative detailing to the decor. Relaxation is made possible in low sofas converted from local canoes and filled with fluffy white cushions.

A fusion of Indian and Swahili cuisine, dishes ordered here are bound to hit all the right notes. The restaurant features a shisha bar and low banquette seating, and the theme is an interesting contemporary take on traditional Indian style. Art lovers will revel in all the abstract art adorning the walls.

Explore their extensive Pan-Asian a la carte menu or enjoy the theatrics of watching the chef flambe your food at either of the two teppanyaki tables.

Freshly caught seafood is brought in by fishermen every morning before being hand selected by the chef. This spot really is the ultimate expression of Swahili beach culture with a modern spin.

If you’re heading to Diani, EatOut also recommends checking out the following establishments that are sure tickle your taste buds!

Ali Barbour’s Cave

The Beach Bar at Nomad

Sails at Almanara

eatout.co.ke/alibarbours 0714 456 131

eatout.co.ke/nomad 0724 262 426

eatout.co.ke/sails 0717 073 953

Believed to be between 120,000 and 180,000 years old, Ali Barbour’s Cave is as unique as its setting.

Made from the finest, freshest seasonal ingredients cooked to perfection, well presented and tasting just out of this world, the seafood menu includes Ali Drunken prawns, Fresh Kilifi oysters, a seafood platter complete with fresh calamari, crab of the mangrove, lobster, king prawns, red snapper and oysters. Situated about 30km south of Mombasa, it offers quite the unique dining experience.

This spot features a restaurant & the adjacent Mvuli bar which serves a large variety of local and international beers, whiskey and spirits, with an impressive cocktail list to boot. Get spoilt for choice with a variety of authentic Italian dishes including wood fired pizza & pasta or opt for the exclusive Japanese menu with a choice of tempura or sushi. You are also bound to enjoy the vast selection of freshly caught seafood cooked with oriental or African hints of flavour, and always cooked to perfection.

When it comes to the ambiance, Sails’ sweeping sails and curving beams offer a stunning and unique piece of architecture on the beach front within Almanara. Each top class dish that leaves the kitchen window does so under the trained watchful eye of Luke Doig – Almanara’s General Manager and the Executive Chef at Sails. A third generation Kenyan, Luke’s extensive experience has propelled this bar and restaurant to the top of the exclusive restaurants’ list in Kenya.

52.

YUMMY

53.

YUMMY

CHICKEN AND CORIANDER DIM SUM INGREDIENTS Dough: 100g baking flour, 1 tsp sugar, ½ tsp salt. Mixture: 50g minced chicken, 2 cloves finely chopped and slightly cooked garlic, 10g oyster sauce, 1 bunch coriander, salt and pepper.

METHOD In a bowl, combine chicken, fried garlic and oyster sauce. Using a fork, mix well and season to taste then add coriander to the mixture. Separately, combine all dough ingredients and knead with lukewarm water until smooth. Roll out flat and as thin as possible, then use a round cutter to get individual disks.

Take an individual disk, add some of the mixture to the centre, apply an egg wash around the edges and fold to get the desired shape. Repeat process for all. Place shaped dim sums in a basket and steam for about 8-10 minutes. Once ready, serve steaming hot with your choice of dipping sauce preferably a sweet and chili Thai sauce

54.

YUMMY

7TH HEAVEN PIZZA INGREDIENTS Dough: 100g baking flour, 2g yeast, 10g salt, 30g sugar, 10g olive oil. Tomato sauce: 1kg tomatoes, 30g onions, 30g garlic, 5g oregano, 30ml olive oil, 2-3 basil leaves, salt to taste. Toppings: 100g grated mozzarella cheese, 50g chicken marinated, cooked and cut into chunks, 10g deseeded and diced tomatoes, 10g deseeded and sliced olives, 10g onions sliced, few drops sesame oil, 20g BBQ sauce, 8-10 slices avocado.

METHOD Dough: sieve the flour and salt onto a clean work surface and make a well in the middle.

Combine yeast, sugar and olive oil with around 65ml of lukewarm water and pour into the well. Work the flour in with the other ingredients and knead until smooth. Place in a large flour-dusted bowl, cover with damp cloth and set aside for about an hour.

Tomato sauce: roughly chop tomato, onion and garlic and mix with the other ingredients. Place mixture in a pan, cook, blend and sieve to make a smooth sauce.

Season.

Roll the dough into a round shape. Smear the tomato sauce evenly across the base and top with all ingredients. Drizzle the sesame oil across the toppings and finish with the BBQ sauce. Bake in a pre-heated oven set at 200â °C for about 8-10 minutes until crispy.

Remove from oven and finish with avocado slices.

55.

YUMMY

TANDOORI LOBSTER INGREDIENTS 1 piece lobster, 5g chopped garlic, 5 g chopped ginger, 5g chopped chilli, bunch of coriander, 1 lemon slice. For the Marinade: 50g plain yoghurt, 5g garlic paste, 5g ginger, ½ tsp chilli powder, ½ tsp garam masala, 10ml oil, salt to taste.

METHOD Combine all the marinade ingredients and mix well. Separate the lobster meat (as a whole) from the shell, then place the meat in the marinade and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes. Place the meat on skewers and cook in a tandoor (or grill). Pour oil in a pan and sautée the ginger, garlic and green chilli.

Add the meat, squeeze some lemon juice and finish with chopped coriander.

Deep fry the shell for 10-15 seconds until it turns a deep dark red colour. Place the meat back in the shell and serve hot with your choice of naan bread or rice.

56.

YUMMY

57.

YUMMY

58.

RESTAURANTS

GIGIRI, MUTHAIGA, UN AVENUE, VILLAGE MARKET

Artcaffé Brasserie

La Dolce Vita

88

Bamboo

The Village Market, Gigiri Cafe 0717193895 An elegant and simple style gives Artcaffe’s Café Brassiere at the Village Market a distinct class. It is the main bakery for all their cafes and serves an extensive menu through- out the day.

Muthaiga Shopping Center Italian 0203749945 This restaurant subscribes to the three R’s that make Italian food great: rustic, robust and reasonably priced.

The interior is bright and airy with art work from the Federico Fellini film creating a stylish space.

Villa Rosa Kempinski Pan Asian 0703049000 Here you are taken on a culinary journey through Asia. Admire gastronomic artistry from within the theatre kitchen as you watch the restaurant’s master chef prepare your favorite dishes.

Zen Garden, Lower Kabete Rd Pan Asian 0717542017 Bamboo is a fine dining restaurant offering the finest fusion cuisine. You can enjoy a combination of Chinese, Thai and Japanese cuisine, set in an elegant and sophisticated atmosphere.

Cake City

Lord Erroll

About Thyme

Big Square

Warwick Centre Bakery & Juice Bar 0732444111 This spot uses traditional recipes to make delicious treats that feel home baked. Cake City will always be there to deliver carefully created cakes and pastries exactly as desired.

89 Ruaka Rd French 0721920820 Evergreen gardens, a mouth-watering selection of gourmet treats and serene environment make this the perfect place to catch up with friends and family as you sip on cocktails.

Eldama Ravine Road Continental 0721850026 Offers a well-prepared menu and beautifully presented dishes from around the world. Enjoy an intimate dining experience in a leafy area of Westlands.

The Oval Burger, Fast Food 0714781351 Visit Big Square’s new branch at The Oval, Westlands and enjoy juicy succulent burgers, creamy milkshakes as well as a fun kiddie corner. Let’s make a square mess!

Big Square

Mediterraneo

Anghiti

Brew Bistro

UN Avenue, Gigiri Burger, Fast Food 0714782380 This branch is located at the corner of United Nations Avenue and Limuru Road. This is the perfect spot to eat, work and chill with either friends or family.

United Nation Ave, Gigiri Italian 0705269841 It is evocative of an Italian villa capturing Italian love for dining from their traditional specialties of seafood, pasta, meat and wood oven baked pizzas with exclusive selection of wines.

Rhapta Rd, Westlands Indian 0734320330 For a fantastic Indian meal featuring classic curries like jalfrezies and tikka masalas in a warm and inviting ambiance, this restaurant never fails to deliver.

Fortis Tower Lounge 0705466836 This spot reaches new heights of luxury with an expansive lounge and exquisite outdoor terrace where guests can feast on delectable bites and sip specialty brews and cocktails.

Dormans

Suite 101

Asmara

Budhaa Bar

The Village Market, Gigiri Cafe 0205006662 Aside from your favourite cup of coffee, this latest branch of Dormans boasts a new menu including a wide selection of salads, delicious sandwiches, pastries, cakes and cookies.

Tribe Hotel, Gigiri Bakery & Patisserie 0207200000 Get all your custom cakes, novelty cakes, freshly baked pastries, gourmet chocolates, authentic Italian homemade gelatos and much more, all at Suite 101 at Tribe.

General Mathenge Lane, Westlands Eritrean 0721948020 A modern and friendly dining atmosphere with fresh, authentic Eritrean and Continental cuisine. They also have an extensive alcoholic beverage selection and children’s play area.

Delta Corner Complex Lounge and Cafe 0736604121 Head here to relax at their upstairs, rooftop “VIP” lounge and glowing circular bar with a welcoming lounge area that provides a 360 degree view of the Westlands area.

Habesha

Tamambo

Artcaffe

Cafe VILLA ROSA

United Nations Crescent, Gigiri Ethiopian 0725869955 Reknowned for its authenticity in Ethiopian cuisine, Habesha offers a wide array of traditional, hearty Ethiopian cuisine served in a rustic and homely atmosphere.

The Village Market, Gigiri Continental 0207124005 Casual trendy atmosphere ideal for coffees, lunch and dinner. The restaurant’s exciting menu offers a delicious selection of light salads and gourmet dishes.

The Oval Café 0717193895 Distinctly chic style with creative décor including the largest balcony space among the Artcaffe outlets. The ArtBakery serves freshly baked homemade breads, pastries and desserts.

Villa Rosa Kempinski Cafe 0703049000 This spot is an ideal destination for an international dining experience.

Whether it’s a taste of home or something rather different you are after, Cafe Villa Rosa is the place to be.

Jiko

360 Degrees

Artisan

Cake City

Tribe Hotel, Gigiri International,Formal Dining 0207200000 Jiko is glamourous yet sophisticated whilst maintaining the warmth and personality of Kenya. Its contemporary cuisine focuses on fresh ingredients.

ABC Place Italian - American Fusion 0700360360 Upscale casual restaurant known for serving authentic neopolitan pizza in a warm and lively modern atmosphere. The brunch here is the perfect way to spend any weekend.

Sankara Hotel, Woodvale Groove International 204208000 From the outdoor terrace to the private dining room, Artisan is designed to reflect a relaxed yet sophisticated atmosphere.

Diamond Plaza Bakery & Juice Bar 0734265718 Using traditional recipes to make delicious treats that feel home baked, Cake City will always be there to deliver carefully created cakes and pastries made just like you like them.

List your restaurant for only Ksh 5000 per month. Email sales@eatout.co.ke 59.

LOWER KABETE, PARKLANDS, SPRING VALLEY, WESTLANDS

RESTAURANTS

Cake City

Darwar Restaurant

Haandi

Mediterraneo

Next to Soin Arcade, Westlands rd Bakery & Juice Bar 0732444111 This spot uses traditional recipes to make delicious treats with a homebaked feel. Cake City delivers carefully created cakes and pasteries made as desired.

Apic Center, 1st Floor Indian 0722 520786 Darwar Indian Restaurant and lounge offers Special Indian, Chinese and Tandoor Cuisines with an amazing ambiance taking you to next level of Yummiest Treats

The Mall, Westlands Indian 0774157034 Haandi - the ultimate name in quality North Indian Cuisine. They offer a bespoke menu and a large selection of wines & beverages that will satisfy any discerning patron

9 West Plaza, Ring Road Italian 0725547800 Mediterraneo has a modern back drop to the best Italian fine dining in the city, from their mosaic pizza oven to home made pastas, seafood dishes and Italian ice creams.

Cake City

Furusato

Jade Tea House

Ocean Basket

Sarit Centre Bakery & Juice Bar 0770 808451 Using traditional recipes to make delicious treats that feel home baked, Cake City will be there to deliver carefully created cakes and pasteries made exactly to your liking.

Ring Road Parklands Japanese 0722 488 706 Furusato specializes in authentic Japanese cuisine and friendly service that will make your dining experience unforgettable. Now with 6 Teppanyaki tables and a Sushi Bar.

Zen Garden, Lower Kabete Rd Multi Cuisine 0724 288 791 Overlooking the beautiful Zen Garden, Jade is a beautiful venue, situated in the heart of Spring Valley. The food quality and high level of service, attracts customers to this area.

The Oval Seafood, Sushi 0786227538 Here you’ll find people who share a love for delicious seafood served hot.

You can expect quality seafood, a cool relaxed atmosphere, friendly service and great value.

Caramel

Fogo Gaucho

Kafe Afrikana

Pizza Inn

ABC Place Contemporary American 0716663463 The warm, inviting ambiance and relaxing atmosphere here is perfect for a quick bite, business lunch or celebrating special occasions with friends.

The service is also really great!

Viking House, Waiyaki Way Brazilian, Steak House 0729 243 202 Fogo Gaucho Churrascaria will serve you more than a dozen cuts of meat and 20 different salads prepared by Brazilian cuisine experts in an elegant South Brazilian ambience.

The Mall, Westlands Cafe 0700 592 028 Kafe Afrikana is an authentic Kenyan brand, serving Premium Kenyan Coffee brewed to perfection and accompanied by great tasting snacks.

Oil Libya, Waiyaki Way Fast Food 0723 971 417 Pizza Inn continues to deliver some of the best pizza made using the freshest ingredients. Enjoy their contemporary interior design as you indudlge in a hot and yummy pizza of your choice.

Chicken Inn

Galitos

Lemon Lounge

Phoenician

Oil Libya Service Station Fast Food 0723 390 317 The design and layout of Chicken Inn is inviting and colorful, appealing to the whole family. Their menu has something for everyone from roasted rotisserie chicken to children’s meals.

Limuru Rd, Oil Libya Service Station Fast Food 0721 296 268 They offer authentic flame grilled chicken with Lemon and Herb, Mild, Hot or Extra Hot as per the preference of the customer. Many of their patrons have termed it unmatched.

Next to Spring Valley Police Station Indian, Pub 0721 738 570 Set in the leafy suburbs of Spring Valley, Lemon Lounge has a breathtaking view with an all day menu of both Indian cuisine and pub food, not to mention an amazing happy hour.

Matundu Lane, Off School lane Japanese, Lebanese 0716161011 The Phoenician is a fabulous restaurant which serves sushi, Lebanese and Teppanyaki courses. The Phoenician has a delightful ambience, children’s play area and good service.

Clay Oven

Golden Spur

Lime Light

Royal Kitchen

Fuji Plaza, Ground Floor Indian/Coffee Bar 0708778877 Experience pure North Indian cuisine prepared by their chefs brought in directly from the heart of India. Has a modern setting and coffee bar.

Southern Sun Hotel, Parklands Rd Steak House 0203740249 Offers delicious specialty steaks, burgers and a wide range of exciting salads. This classic family restaurant also has an activity area for children.

Hotel Royal Orchid Azure Multi-Cuisine 0736277170 Offers buffet set-up and seats both inside and outside set on the large veranda overlooking the swimming pool giving a relaxed atmosphere.

Pride Inn Hotel, Westlands Rd Continental 0728224595 Lovers of authentic Indian or Chinese cuisines are in for a treat at Royal Kitchen. Customers are guaranteed of genuine and tasty cuisines.

Colosseum

Graze

Lucca

Sarabi

West End Towers, Waiyaki Way Italian 0791496894 Their contemporary restaurant makes for a perfect meeting point with friends or family. Their authentic Italian cuisine is made with the freshest ingredients. A slice of Italy.

Sankara Hotel, Woodvale Grove Steakhouse 0204208000 Enjoy aged beef, succulent seafood, and classic steakhouse dishes exquisitely paired with an eclectic wine and whisky list featuring some of the finest producers in the world.

Villa Rosa Kempinski Italian 0703049000 A popular spot for family brunch on Sundays with a wide range of Italian cuisine, live entertainment, children’s play area and a fantastic mini-buffet.

Sankara Hotel, Woodvale Grove International 0204208000 Enjoy sweeping views of Nairobi in this exclusive rooftop location as you try expertly made cocktails. Note that the age limit after 6pm is 25 years and above.

Fantastic discounts at your favourite restaurants. eatout.co.ke/yummycard 60.

61.

RESTAURANTS YUMMY

JUNCTION, HURLINGHAM, KILELESHWA, LAVINGTON

Saravana Bhavan

SOI

Venom Terrace

Artcaffe

2nd Flr, Victoria Plaza, Parklands Rd Indian Vegetarian 0704182222 The world’s largest vegetarian chain now has a branch in Nairobi, and with chefs directly from Chenhai! Swing by for tasty, organic, purely vegetarian South Indian cuisine!

dusitD2 Hotel, 14 Riverside Drive Thai 0204233000 SOI brings world-renowned Thai street food with a modern twist to your plate. SOI also features a communal table and an enclosed space with its own terrace for more privacy.

9th Floor, Victoria plaza Mordern Indian Fusion 0733678153 Specializing in Indian Fusion Cuisine with a twist of Molecular Gastronomy.

First of its kind in Kenya. Exotic Indian food served in a contemporary style, delightful ambience and good service.

The Junction Mall, Ngong Rd Café 0202327799 Bright, light- filled café famous for its roasted coffees,hearty dishes and mouth watering deserts. It is the ideal spot for postshopping coffee and cake, breakfasts and leisurely lunches.

Secret Garden

SOKO

Ventana

Big Square

14 Riverside Drive Cafe 0708800847 Conveniently located in the new office blocks at 14 Riverside Drive, they strive to keep their food simple, fresh and natural. Secret Garden is one of Nairobi’s must-try healthy restaurants.

dusitD2 Hotel, 14 Riverside Drive International 0204233000 Soko offers a private dining roundel and a sublime terrace perfect for an upscale business lunch, a get together or a romantic dinner completed with an international and eclectic menu.

Junction of Karuna Rd & Lower Kabete International 0737555999 Upscale gastro-pub with an eclectic mix of jazz fusion. Enjoy simple heartwarming comfort food and slightly more unusual dishes.

The Junction Mall, Ngong Rd Burger, Fast food 0714781351 you are guaranteed to enjoy the ambiance as you eat your favorite fries, the famous square burger, crunchy onion rings and juicy ribs marinated in Big Square’s secret sauce.

Seven

Tambourin

Vista

Brew Bistro

ABC Place, Waiyaki Way Seafood 0737776677 Offers a sumptuous selection of the finest Indian Ocean seafood. Indulge in one of Seven’s decadent desserts to complete Nairobi’s most unique and sought-after dining experience.

Villa Rosa Kempinski Levant Cuisine 0703049000 An intimate rooftop lounge, bar and restaurant with a striking decor, exceptional Shisha, authentic levantine cuisine and electrifying performances by belly dancers.

Hotel Emerald Multi-Cuisine 0729418241 Enjoy Indian, Chinese and Italian specialties in a serene setting with a great view from the 6th floor of the Hotel Emerald making any evening out special and unforgettable.

Piedmont Plaza, Ngong Rd Bistro 0771152359 Fine dining section complimented by a centralised open kitchen which serves Pan-Global cuisine, incorporating a fusion of French, European, Asian and classic Kenyan flavours.

Shangrila

Taste of China

Vineyard

Cheka

Diamond Plaza New Wing Chinese, Indian 0773868497 Delicious Indian & Chinese Cuisine prepared by highly experienced chefs in their tastefully decorated interior.

Home deliveries and catering for your special events also available.

VIP Plaza, Westlands Rd Chinese 0202117172 This is a modern bar and restaurant serving Indo-Chinese food complemented by an extensive alcohol menu. The dining room has a tranquil colour scheme with ambient lighting.

Raphta Rd Continental 0772322270 Great atmosphere during the day and an exciting nightlife that can only be described as the best “pre-game and after party spot”. Coupled with fantastic meals and cocktails.

101 Manyani East Road Japanese 0717700666 The only Japanese restaurant actually owned by Japanese in kenya. Try authentic meals including sushi, noodles, a variety of seafood specials and imported sake from Japan.

Sizzlers

Tandoori Patio

Wet Lounge

Chicken Inn

Apic Center , Westlands Chinese, Indian 0707030338 Authentic Chinese and Indian cuisines dishes are offered with a pleasant, cozy dining experience in a perfect setting ideal for couples, small groups or flocks of family and friends

Junction of Lower Kabete & Peponi Indian Cuisine 0702018709 A hidden gem with an upscale patio style set up that is serene and pocket friendly serving hearty meals for healthy eaters. Best for hot naans, Curries and Tandoori bbqs.

Hotel Royal Orchid, Westlands International 0733 816 007 This is a chic yet classy lounge perfect for a night out with friends. It boasts of an eclectic ambiance with an impeccably designed VIP room where you can have private parties.

Oil Libya, Ngong Rd Fast Food 0720 294 568 The design and layout of Chicken Inn is inviting and colorful, appealing to the whole family. Their menu has something for everyone from roasted rotisserie chicken to children’s meals.

Snack Attack

Tiger Trail

Adega

Double Dragon

Sarit Centre Fast Food 0700377777 Snack Attack Kenya at Sarit Centre is a quick serve restaurant franchise from the UAE and the first restau- rant in Nairobi to bring you “Loaded Chips”, made using their own unique recipe.

Hotel Royal Orchid Azure Indian 0716079305 This is a fine dining restaurant that serves fine Indian cuisine from a delicate balance of succulent food, featuring an authentic ambiance and personalized service from experienced staff.

Lavington Curve Mall, James Gichuru rd Portuguese 0723111999 Adega is an upmarket Portuguese restaurant catering to a variety of tastes and styles, including a Halal menu; a combination that will leave you wanting more.

The Junction Mall Chinese 0722 739143 Double Dragon is a Chinese restaurant located at The Junction Mall.

The location offers great service and authentic Chinese cuisine to its customers.

List your restaurant for only Ksh 5000 per month. Email sales@eatout.co.ke 62.

62.

RESTAURANTS

JUNCTION, HURLINGHAM, KILELESHWA, LAVINGTON

Fogo Gaucho

Mambo Italia

PABLO’S

The Steak Out

Kilimani, Galana Rd Brazilian, Steak House 0715414141 Brazilian Steakhouse with a set price for all you can eat, magnificent buffet professional baristas and specially selected wine list. Beautiful ambience with outside terrace seating.

Lavington Curve Mall, Lavington Italian 0719468885 Mambo Italia is a casual Italian restaurant and café specializing in gourmet pizzas, pasta, salads and more. Enjoy thin-crust pizzas, home-made gelato or coffee on their fabulous terrace.

BEST WESTERN PREMIER NAIROBI International 0202927000 The menu here encompasses a wide variety of international cuisine, from Asian dishes to Italian pastas and pizzas. Sit either indoors or outside and be sure to be spoilt for choice!

102 Manyani Rd. Off James Gichuru Multi Cuisine 0726211443 The Steck Out is an elegant and urban steakhouse serving creative foods for all palates in a comfortable ambiance ensuring a memorable dining experience.

Ginza

Mediterraneo

Phoenician

The Arbor

Galana Plaza, Galana Rd Japanese 0708333999 Ginza serves hearty and authentic Japanese meals from fresh sushi, delicious desserts, salads, stir fried and Teppanyaki dishes and more, all prepared by their able chefs.

The Junction Mall, Ngong Rd Italian 0734 845 077 An Italian experience set in its family like atmosphere with a variety of traditional Mediterranean specialty of seafood, grilled meat, home made pastas and Sicilian ice cream.

Junction Mall Japanese, Lebanese 020 3 741 524 The Phoenician is a fabulous restaurant which serves sushi, Lebanese and Teppanyaki courses, in an al fresco atmosphere, a delightful ambience and good service.

House 904, James Gichuru Rd Café 0729400291 The Arbor is an eco-friendly garden cafe with an eclectic selection of food and as well as a marketplace in a tranquil garden setting in the heart of Nairobi.

Habesha

MEZZE on the deck

Pizza Inn

The Wine Shop

Argwings Khodek Rd, Hurlingham Ethiopian 0733730469 Renown for its authentic Ethiopian cuisine complimented by great hospitality, Habesha has continued to win hearts around Nairobi and is set in a warm homely atmosphere.

BEST WESTERN PREMIER Middle East & Mediterranean 020 2 927 000 For traditional Arabic hospitality, food, an exotic array of sheesha flavours and a breathtaking view of the Ngong Hills, Mezze on the deck is ‘the’ place to dine in Nairobi.

Oil Libya, Ngong Rd Pizza 0720 294 568 “It must be the Pizza!” This popular pizza outlet makes some great tasting pizza, all made using only the freshest ingredients, hence their popularity with patrons around the city.

671 Piedmont Plaza, Ngong Rd International 0718003302 The Wine Shop encourages you to explore your palate and experiment either by the glass or bottle. They also offer a selection of delicious complimentary dishes for your wines.

Jiweke Tavern

Monikos Kitchen

Pizza Mojo

Tokyo

Ngong Rd African Cuisine 0728333985 Offers an exceptional Kenyan dining experience. The charming old fashioned interior with a luscious garden and outside sports bar. Ideal for family lunches and fun nights out.

Lavington, Valley Arcade Continental 0737032064 Inspired by the abundance of fresh and organic produce in Nairobi and across the country. Offers guests a delightful menu and tranquility at the heart of the shopping center.

Adlife Plaza, Kilimani Pizza 0729918435 This spot has a perfect classic pizzas menu and more available on a ‘Two for One price’ being served in a stylish ambience perfect for creating memories and capturing moments.

Kolloh Rd Japanese, Korean 0721485586 Tokyo, a restaurant with over 10 years of experience, serves top class food in Nairobi. It has a wide range and fine selection of sushi and other typical Japanese dishes.

Larder

Noah Restaurant

Salt Bar

Afghan House

Radisson Blu Multi Cuisine 0704810000 Serves local favorites and international dishes with an African twist.

The Larder’s cosy ambiance enclaves create a sense of intimacy.

Eastlands Hotel Multi cuisine 0203861005 Offering an array of delicacies with contemporary fusion of the west and orient, Karaoke and hotpot on griddle tables available in private VIP rooms.

Junction Mall Bar 0704595818 This is a stylish wine shop and bar with a selection of bottles from Spain and more. They also host regular wine tasting affairs for enthusiasts.

The Hub Afghan Cuisine 0717781815 It provides freshly prepared Afghan Food that is made on order and delivered all around Nairobi. They also specialize in Turkish baklava

Mama Ashanti

Pampa

Sierra Brasserie

Amber

Muthangari Gardens West African 0736222324 Mama Ashanti prides itself in providing authentic West African meals in a calm serene environment. Their menu includes the famous jollof rice and goat pepper soup.

Thompson Estate, Kingara Rd Brazilian, Steak House 0727785302 Pampa is a haven for meat lovers and vegetarians alike. The restaurant encompasses an authentic Brazilian rotisserie steak house and fantastic buffet salad bar.

Hurlingham, Yaya Centre Continental 0208068594 Sierra Brasserie is a modern interpretation of a classical French brasserie serving simple yet elegant food using the best ingredients available and with fast and friendly service.

Ngong Lane, off Ngong rd International 0709 090 000 Spread out over the first floor, Amber Hotel’s all day dining restaurant offers culinary experience at its best with savory international Cuisines.

Fantastic discounts at your favourite restaurants. eatout.co.ke/yummycard 63.

64.

KAREN, NGONG ROAD, LANGATA

CBD, INDUSTRIAL AREA, MOMBASA ROAD

Artcaffe

Marula Mercantile

Talisman

Baraka

Karen Crossroads Shopping Centre Café, Continental 0717193895 Offers a tranquil setting for work and play, boasting a two-level restaurant space including the famous Art Bakery, a coffee bar, cocktail bar and outdoor seating

Marula Lane, Karen Modern/International 0706 22 4444 Locally-sourced, modern cuisine and innovative cocktails served in a rustic, laid-back garden setting. Bread, pastries, jams, sausages and more all made in-house.

320 Ngong Road African, Pan-Asian, European 0733761449 Talisman serves up a delightful fusion of European, Pan-Asian and African Creations by their creative chefs. Live music and art exhibitions are available at the Veranda.

Crowne Plaza Hotel, UpperHill Continental 0202746000 An All-day restaurant on a terrace overlooking the hotel’s main pool.

They serve full english buffet breakfasts, contemporary buffet lunches, and an al a carte or set dinner menu.

Big Square

Matbronze Café

Tamambo Blixen

Bhandini

Karen Square, Ngong Rd Burger, Fast Food 0714781351 Big Square Karen offers some of the best burgers and ribs that your teeth can sink in to. Features play area for children that has iPads and latest gaming consoles.

Hse.2 Kifaru Lane, Langata South Rd. Cafe 0719204834 Classy cafe nestled in the serene location of Karen boasting of beautiful gardens and an inspiring bronze art gallery. Enjoy their tasty sandwiches, light grills and wholesome salads.

336 Karen Road Continental 0733603065 Relax in the cozy indoor restaurant with adjacent outdoor garden, remodeled with a variety of functions areas set in one the largest and oldest formal gardens in Kenya.

InterContinental Hotel,CBD Indian 0203200322 Bhandini transports you to Northern India in first-class style with fine cuisine and a sophisticated setting.

The Chef works his culinary magic in a glass-enclosed kitchen.

Carnivore

Pizza Inn

Tamarind Nairobi

Big Five

Carnivore Rd, Langata African, Barbeque, Kenyan 0722204647 Considered as ‘Africa’s Greatest Eating Experience’, the Carnivore serves exotic meats roasted over charcoal and carved in front of the guests’ eyes at their table.

Oil Libya, Galleria Fast Food 0700 323 323 Pizza Inn continues to deliver some of the best pizza made using the freshest ingredients. Enjoy their contemporary interior design as you indudlge in a hot and yummy pizza of your choice.

Karen Blixen, Karen Seafood 0733603065 Tamarind Nairobi offers some of the city’s leading seafood in an ambience of elegance. Enjoy a drink in their bar or a well-prepared meal as a live band entertains you.

Ole Sereni Hotel, Mombasa Rd Multi Cuisine 0203901000 Prepared to savor and relish over the finest of five cuisines of the world as you watch their award winning chefs prepare each order before you with a bonus view of Nairobi National Park

Creative Kitchen

Que Pasa

The Curragh

Cafe Maghreb

Wilson Airport (Off Langata Road) Continental 0722959552 Creative Kitchen offers an a la carte lunch menu that caters to all palates.

Family friendly with a playground for the children, they feature a live band that plays once monthly.

Karen Shopping Centre,Karen Continental 0728272902 This neighbourhood bar is a stylish yet simple space. Provides the perfect informal location to enjoy a meal, drink or lounge.

Ngong Race Course Pub Food 0706317753 Nairobi’s first authentic Irish Pub found at Ngong Race course, with ample free parking and great authentic Irish cuisine.

Nairobi Serena Hotel, CBD Seafood, Cafe 0202822000 An international buffet is served in the Moroccan Café Maghreb, which also features a table d’hôte dinner menu and 24-hour brasserie service.

Explorer Tavern

Simba Saloon

Afghan House

Flame Tree

Ole Dume Rd Continental, Bar 20 5203931 Hidden in the Lavington area, Explorer Tavern is the place that celebrates a wide variety of single-malt scotches and different cuisines. One try and you’ll be back for more!

Carnivore Rd, Langata African, Barbeque 0722204647 A vibrant informal restaurant which fuses a childrens playground and a lively nightclub. You are welcome to for their fine cuisine or a themed night out with your friends.

Kisauni Rd Nairobi West Afghan Cuisine 0717781815 Afghan House provides freshly prepared Afghan Food which is made on order and delivered all around Nairobi. They also specialize in Turkish baklava, a popular dessert.

Sarova Panafric, Valley Rd International 0709111000 Dine at this restaurant overlooking manicured gardens and prepare your senses for an unmatched culinary journey. Their personalized service will ensure a great experience.

Js Fresh Bar

Snack Attack

Argenti

Makuti Bar & Grill

Karen - Opposite St. Christopher’s Continental - British Inspired 0718607197 J’s is East Africa’s Café Del Mar, serving fabulous British inspired cuisine in a sumptuous wooden shack; in an informal and cool atmosphere, always with great music.

Adams Arcade Fast Food 0700377777 Snack Attack Kenya is your go to source for delicious “Loaded Chips”.

Head there and indulge in their tasty menu which offers extensive and rich meals at an affordable price

Gem Suites, State House Crescent Continental with Italian Fusion 0202635556 ‘Argenti”, meaning “silver” in Italian, communicates the fine dining and elegance of the restaurant while retaining an air of exclusivity. They also have very efficient service.

InterContinental Hotel,CBD International 0203200324 The restaurant is popular among businessmen and other prominent personalities who frequent it for lunch and meetings. Situated by the pool, this is also ideal for families.

List your restaurant for only Ksh 5000 per month. Email sales@eatout.co.ke 65.

THIKA ROAD, TRM MALL, GARDEN CITY

RESTAURANTS

Mandhari

Tatu

Cake City

Mambo Italia

Nairobi Serena Hotel Formal Dining 0202822000 This restaurant overlooks the pool and offers a fine- dining experience.

Known for the excellence of its seasonally inspired menu and extensive wine cellars.

Fairmont Norfolk, Harry Thuku Rd Formal Dining 0202265000 This restaurant offers flame grilled, aged cuts of high quality meat. The fine dining experience comprises of an a la carte menu and an international range of wines.

TRM Mall Cafe 0734265718 Cake City uses traditional recipes to make delicious treats that feel home baked. Delivers are available and include carefully created, personalised cakes and pastries.

Garden City Italian 0703 967 149 Mambo Italia is a casual Italian restaurant and café specializing in gourmet pizzas, pasta, salads and more. Enjoy thin-crust pizzas, home-made gelato or coffee.

Mukutan Garden

Thai Chi

Chicken Inn

Moca Loca

Fairview Hotel, Upper Hill Cafe 0202881000 The Mukutan Garden Café overlooks the most beautiful water feature in East Africa and is known for its, coffees and light meals such as gourmet sandwiches, pizzas and quesadillas.

The Sarova Stanley, Kimathi St,CBD Thai 0202757000 One of the city’s most elegant dining establishments, The Thai Chi boasts the finest in authentic Thai cuisine.

The Thai Chi is a small piece of Thailand in Nairobi.

Garden City - 1st flr Fast Food 0702 323 323 The design and layout of Chicken Inn is inviting and colorful, appealing to the whole family. Their menu has something for everyone from roasted rotisserie chicken to children’s meals.

Garden City Cafe & Lounge 0708084835 A cafe, restaurant and lounge serving breakfast, lunch & dinner, as well as coffee and cocktails . Ambiance is central to this new brand which also has a location in Nakuru town.

Pampa

Lord Delameres

Chicken Inn TRM

Pizza Inn

Panari Sky Centre, Mombasa Rd Brazilian, Steak House 0722131047 Pampa Churrascaria is a haven for meat lovers and vegetarians alike; it encompasses an authentic Brazilian rotisserie steak house as well as a fantastic buffet salad bar.

Fairmont Norfolk, Harry Thuku Rd Formal Dining 0202265000 Classic, charming and modern restaurant ideal for business executives, families and groups of friends. The menu features robust international and authentic Kenyan cuisine.

TRM Mall - 2nd flr Fast Food 0700 416 858 The design and layout of Chicken Inn is inviting and colorful, appealing to the whole family. Their menu has something for everyone from roasted rotisserie chicken to children’s meals.

Garden City - 1st flr Fast Food 0702 323 323 “It must be the Pizza!” This popular pizza outlet makes some great tasting pizza, all made using only the freshest ingredients, hence their popularity with patrons around the city.

Pango Brasserie

Thorn Tree Cafe

Creamy Inn

Pizza Inn TRM

Fairview Hotel, Upper- Hill Formal Dining 0202881330 With its famous underground wine cellar, romantic ambience, quality service and excellent taste, the Pango Brasserie is indeed in a class of its own.

The Sarova Stanley, Kimathi St,CBD Continental 0202757000 This a legendary open-air, bistro style pavement cafe most famous for its message board located at the centre of the restaurant. The cafe is the perfect meeting place for friends.

Garden City - 1st flr Fast Food 0702 323 323 Creamy Inn promises to tempt you with that special sweet something that makes life worth living. Their ice creams are really popular and upon trying some, you will realize why.

TRM Mall - Grnd flr Fast Food 0700 416 858 “It must be the Pizza!” This popular pizza outlet makes some great tasting pizza, all made using only the freshest ingredients, hence their popularity with patrons around the city.

Black Gold Cafe

Artcaffe Garden City

Galito’s

Pizza Mojo

The Panari Hotel, Mombasa Rd Cafe 0711091000 The Black Gold Cafe is known for its well roasted coffees, teas, light meals, smoothies and desserts. Its location gives it the atmosphere of a game lodge as it faces the Nairobi National Park.

Garden City Mall Cafe 0709202020 Artcaffe gives customers a place to rest and relax over great food and drinks made by their passionate team of chefs, baristas and mixologists, to ensure each visit is a memorable experience.

Garden City- Grnd Flr Fast Food 0702 323 323 Galito’s offers delicious and authentic flame grilled chicken, burgers, rice dishes and french fries, and that’s what first comes to mind when you think of this popular fast food chain in Nairobi.

Garden City - 1st Flr Pizza 0729918435 With a perfect classic pizzas menu and all available on a ‘Two for One price’ being served in a stylish ambience perfect for creating memories and capturing moments.

Sikia Fine Dining

Artcaffe TRM

Galito’s TRM

Sugarcane

Crowne Plaza Hotel, ,UpperHill Formal Dining 0202746000 The Sikia Fine Dining room is perfect for lunchtime catch-ups or mid-week dinners with friends and family. The modern menu is delightful and the dining room is comfortably elegant.

TRM Mall Cafe 0709202020 Their quietly elegant décor and amazing art provides the perfect setting for the intermingled aromas of freshly baked bread, pastries, cakes and specially roasted coffee.

TRM Mall- Grnd Flr Fast Food 0700 416 858 Galito’s offers delicious and authentic flame grilled chicken and french fries, and that’s what first comes to mind when you think of this popular fast food chain in Nairobi.

Garden City Mall - 1st Flr Caribbean 0792482042 The recently opened Sugarcane offers Caribbean food in a casual, stylish atmosphere. Favorites like Jerk Chicken, Curry and Roti, tropical desserts and yummy drinks!

Fantastic discounts at your favourite restaurants. eatout.co.ke/yummycard 66.

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YUMMY

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