Nairobi Restaurant Week was ‘tasteless’

 Over 60 restaurants participated in what was touted as a 10-day extravaganza of taste and creativity

Guys, after a sabbatical, I am now back in the game. And what a good way to start than with the annual Nairobi Restaurant Week 2017 (NRW) which took place from January 26 to  February 5.

Over 60 restaurants participated in what was touted as a 10-day extravaganza of taste and creativity. This year, the organisers, Eat Out Kenya, rallied participating restaurants to each create one of a kind, limited edition lunch and dinner menus.

Lunch was a two-course meal (starter and mains or mains and dessert for Sh950), while dinner was a three-course affair (starter, mains and dessert), including a complementary beverage, all for Sh1,950.

Select eateries further offered a five-course dinner and cocktail at Sh3,950. However, some see the pricing of NRW as their ticket to sample a wide array of cuisines at friendly rates.

Cocktails were courtesy of Pernod Ricard Kenya, featuring classic cocktails of Beefeater London Gin, Absolut Vodka, Chivas Whisky, Havana Rum and Olmeca Tequila. My favourite, the Absolut Mule (a take on the famous Moscow Mule), was a veritable mix of vodka, ginger beer and lime juice.

It’s quite fresh and hits the spot, more so when the barman is generous with the vodka in true Moscow style!

I opted to check out four restaurants in Westlands. During a quick lunch break, I tried to kick off my NRW experience at the brand new Nyama Mama Restaurant at Delta Towers.

The waiter informed me that they didn’t have in stock some of the ingredients for their set menu yet as the restaurant had just opened. So, we ended up dining on their regular fare and that is a review for another day.

I’d seen recently on a friend’s Instagram page that she’d had a sensational dessert at a place called The Node. Turns out this is Pizza Garden reloaded. Yup, they did a total renovation of the place and it now looks fresh, updated and all kinds of amazing. Too bad the NRW menu was quite disappointing.

Actually, the waitress warned us as we ordered that we were better off ordering from the regular menu to avoid disappointment. My friends and I insisted on the NRW menu.

So, off we went ordering starters of ginger bread soup served with chicken and aubergine ravioli; pickled butternut disks, honey roasted butternut, mushroom mouse and “mushroom dust” (amused me too). The soup was interesting, in so far as we couldn’t quite place the taste. I picked up on some fish and cinnamon notes and a hint of sweetness too.

Honestly, if I hadn’t read the menu, I’d have found it impossible to say what soup we were having. The butternut and mushroom were tiny morsels, more of plate décor really. It’s what food connoisseurs call an “amuse bouche” – bite-sized appetisers to tease the palate.

Soon after came the mains; red snapper with herb crust, roasted beetroot, spinach and feta tortellini, potato puree served with tomato salsa; and a red wine braised pork belly accompanied by ratatouille lasagna, tempura fried baby marrow, beef marrow bone served with a béarnaise sauce.

The fish was tough, dry and smelled off. We had to send it back. At least the pork was tasty and the tempura fresh and crunchy. I asked for replacement of the bearnaise sauce because it didn’t suit the pork at all, so the chef replaced it with a red wine jus, which was better for pork as it was sweet and tangy.

Dessert was alright, nothing special – little pieces of chocolate mousse, cheesecake, tiramisu, strawberry jelly and an ice cream dome. A day after, I popped by Urban Gourmet Burger at the Village Market for dinner. Burger choices were the standard Urban Gourmet Burger fare – Chili Burger, Santa Fe burger, Asian, Caribbean , lamb, veggie and more.

I ordered a Texas prime beef with crispy bacon, no cheese, a fried egg, rocket leaves and barbeque sauce. In place of fries, I ordered the onion rings with a side of coleslaw. The burger meat was succulent, well-seasoned and had a hint of smokiness.

Overall, the burger was a bit dry, probably since they held back on the barbeque sauce. I noted the portions were the usual from Urban Gourmet Burger, so I didn’t feel cheated.

The eatery offers a host of other burger toppings like fried onions, grilled chili, eggplant, roast peppers, guacamole and mushrooms, so you can get as creative as you like. The was attentive, friendly and helpful. It was an overall pleasant experience.

My next port of call was The Garden Restaurant at the rooftop of Lotus Inn and Suites on Mpaka Road. To start, we had the hot and sour soup and spicy chicken wings. The soup was filled with finely-shredded veggies and could easily have been a meal on its own had we not opted to share. The chicken wings were crispy though one could tell they’d been pre-fried, but this is normal for Nairobi Chinese restaurants.

For mains, we had the dry-fried cumin lamb with vegetable fried rice and chicken with celery and red chili in flavoured bean sauce. Cumin is a powerful spice, dominating a dish if used generously and we enjoyed this. The chicken with celery was a complementary combination, although I felt the bean sauce wasn’t enough.

There were some ingredients missing. I don’t know if they were left out to accommodate the menu pricing. Eventually, after some seasoning and, believe it or not adding some sweet and sour sauce, things balanced out. Regular Garden Restaurant meals are packed with robust, fresh flavours. Unfortunately this time, it wasn’t the case.

The way I see it, dining in Nairobi during NRW can really put you off. Something doesn’t work between the special servings and the course combinations. A friend commented that it’s likely the restaurants skimp out on some ingredients in order to accommodate the temporary pricing.

If that’s the case, then it’s sad as many won’t give a second chance once disappointed, unless they’ve been there during non-NRW period. NRW participants should instead select the star dishes of their menus and really make an effort to showcase their best.