By Cathy Ochung

Hidden among the thick green of Karen surroundings is Rusty Nail restaurant. With a catchy name like that, who can resist the temptation of finding out what it is all about?

Set strategically within a two-minute drive from Karen Shopping Centre, the restaurant is definitely not a disappointment, courtesy of its country setting and the additional contemporary dÈcor to it.

The entrance to the Rusty Nail restaurant, Karen.

Clive and Susan Evans, the owners, are siblings from UK. With the help of professional interior designer Kim Evans of Ndani Interiors?, they succeeded in creating an exceptional restaurant whose ambience sets it apart. Their captivating ideas transformed what was once a three bedroom cottage into a modern restaurant and lounge.

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Interestingly, despite its name, nothing is rusty about the place. The restaurant’s name was coined one afternoon when the owners and a group of friends were enjoying a drink. By the end of that evening more than 10 years ago, a popular Scottish drink by the name Rusty Nail appealed to all, and thus the restaurant was born.

Because of where it is situated, the restaurant is a favourite with the white folk although it does attract other races too, especially during sports nights when big-name teams are playing.

Rustic feel

The interiors reflect a cottage feel, right from the chipped walls that reveal beautiful murals underneath, to the unusual lighting and high ceilings that have been fitted together without using nails.

The dining section where you can enjoy a meal at the restaurant’s garden. Photos: Pius Cheruiyot/Standard

There are plenty more things to catch your attention at Rusty Nail. Colours are warm and welcoming. The elderly waiters are a fascination too. They are friendly and have worked here for the better part of their lives.

The restaurant is sectioned into different themes to cater for various audiences. At the Mugumo Terrace is a fallen Mugumo tree. The centre piece is an old cart that graces the entrance and must be very costly. "It can buy one a piece of land," jokes Susan.

To create a quirky, fun and frivolous atmosphere for the revellers, a combination of bricks and bottle-end decorations is used on most parts of the walls, which is an ingenious way of disposing used bottles. The site is magnificent to look at especially at night.

The rustic feel is most evident at the bar’s first terrace where there are long black hanging nails. When one is not interested in sitting inside the restaurant, a guest can sit on the red-coated terraces and enjoy the manicured landscape spanning two and a half acres.