By Caroline Nyanga

Whereas five star hotels are often thought to belong to the elite and aristocrats in society, some have enough room for the middle-income earners. I discovered this after a visit to Makuti Bar at the poolside of the Intercontinental hotel.

It has been a while since I visited this hotel so when one of my friends suggested an outing there, I totally bought the idea. On walking in, I easily noticed the quiet natural setting comprising unique palm trees and clay flowerpots that give that relaxing ‘eating out’ feel.

Makuti Bar in the evening

There is a choice of seating area — either at the Makuti-roofed bar that is surrounded by unique brown and black African artefacts, or at the restaurant’s open terrace, which has a magnificent view of the city’s skyscrapers.

The roofed bar is made more spectacular with its creatively designed black and brown seats under palm canopies from where you can read a magazine, novels or just dive into the pool. On Sundays, a live band entertains adults while children enjoy a swim. The restaurant is popular among businessmen and other prominent personalities who frequent it for lunch and meetings.

As soon as we had taken our seats, a friendly waiter donning a red African top and a black trouser walked to our table and guided us through the extensive menu that has all kinds of foods ranging from African, European to Chinese.

Our first order was for fresh, non-alcoholic cocktails dubbed Makuti fruit punch — a delicious combination of orange, pineapple and watermelon juices. My favourite juice though, was the Makuti oriental that is a mixture of cointreau, freezomint and Meyer’s rum pineapple. Kavi’s special, a blend of pineapple, banana and avocado, is another favourite juice at this bar.

A cocktail from makuti bar Photos: Evans Habil/Standard]

You can order food from the hotel’s Italian, Indian or Terrace restaurants while sitting at the bar. Being a lover of pork, I chose deli cately done crispy pieces of pork served on a bed of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and french-fries. My colleagues opted for spaghetti cabonara prepared with bacon, cheese and egg sauce.

We were having such a good time laughing and talking we did not even realise the time it took for the food to arrive. As soon as the food arrived, all that chitchat was forsaken as we devoured the food, enjoying every single bite.

In the evening, the bar gets abuzz with various activities. The small multi-coloured lights around the palm trees create a romantic ambience for dinner. Meat is roasted here in plenty, from fresh steak to pork, fish and wild game (crocodile, ostrich and quail among others). Indeed, given the quality of the food served, Makuti is definitely worth a visit.