The Ya Ya center is an unbelievably modern luxury shopping mall, featuring all sorts of western and Kenyan stores selling all imaginable kinds of products. If you want a brand-new camera, a safari outfit, a carved bedroom set or a violin, this is the place to get it. Expect to pay around the same than you would at home (though it could be more, specially now that the dollar is so weak).

It also features several restaurants. Saffron is its Indian offering. We went there for lunch today, and I was pretty impressed. The food was quite good, the service was excellent and the company, of course, was great. The restaurant itself is open to the mall, so it doesn't have much on the way of atmosphere, but it's nice enough.

The menu features many dishes that are familiar to western Indian food aficionados. There is chicken korma, tikka massala and tandoori. There is rice and naan. There are plenty of vegetarian offers. They have lassies (Ks100 - $1.50) - though my sweet lassi was too sour and not sweet enough - and massala tea (Ks 90 - $1.35). In other words, if you are in the mood for Indian food, chances are you can find something here to fit your mood.

I was about to play it totally safe and order the chicken korma, my favorite, but decided to go for the Kashmiri lamb curry (Ks 450 - $6.75) instead. It was quite good, sweet and with balanced flavors. I'd been concerned about the tenderness of the meat, but it was cut in very small portions and it wasn't at all tough. The portion was quite generous (as were all), specially when eaten with rice (Ks 170 - $2.55). I did ask for the curry to be "medium" spice, but it was pretty mild. If you like a little fierness, go for hot.

One of my colleagues had chicken naji and another had the fish naji (Ks 550 - $8.25 each). I didn't try the fish, but the chicken was moist and while the curry was a little too tame for my taste, it was very pleasant, with sweet, soft flavors. My colleague really liked it.

The naan (Ks 60 - $1) was fine, your typical naan, as was the pappadum (Ks 40 - $.60). The sweet and sour sauce had a nice punch.

In all the lunch was very pleasant, we spent quite a lot of time over it, and I'd definitely go back. Lunch for three, including drinks and tax, came out to Ks 2560, $38. It seems expensive, but Nairobi is quite an expensive city.

Saffron
Yaya Center
Argwings Kodhek Road
Nairobi
387-7236

I just came back from dinner at Misono. Ok, I /think/ I just came back from dinner at Misono. I did go to dinner at a Japanese restaurant - I don't know the name, but given that it's close to where we are and Misono is located on Lenana road, I'm willing to bet that's the one I've been to. It was quite good.

Misono offers a variety of dining options. You can have sushi (though its menu is quite limited), teppanaki (meat or veggies fired grilled as you watch, a la Benihana - a complete meal starts at around $25 pp), or order from the main menu. That's a much cheaper option, and we decided to go for it.

I had the chicken katsu and while I liked the tender fried chicken, the sauce itself was too thick and tasted too vinegary and ketchupy. The chicken was definitely better without it. It came with a salad, too vinegary for me to eat. The portion was a good size.

Unfortunately our conversation was too interesting for me to even remember to ask my colleagues what they thought of their food (one had sushi, the other steamed dumpling looking spring rolls and fish), though they made approving noises. The consensus was that we'd go back.

It's a bit disconcerting being attended by so many bowing Kenyans, but you can't help but applaud their spirit.

Misono
Lenana Rd.
Nairobi
(254) 20 - 3868959

I've been in Nairobi for about 10 days, and I've eaten food from Osteria del Chianti already 4 times. It's not so much because it's a favorite of mine, but because the people I'm with really seem to like it. They also have the incredible advantage of delivering (I'm not sure what their delivery area is, we live within a few hundred meters).

The menu includes pizzas, pastas and meat dishes. The pizzas are all individual size and Roman style - the owner is indeed Italian. They have paper thin crusts, a lack of abundance of cheese but fresh, tasty toppings. The prosciutto in the raw prosciutto pizza tastes Italian, and the abundant arugula in the gorgonzola and arugula pizza is clearly very fresh. In all, if you like Italian-style pizza (and I'm becoming a convert), they are pretty good. If I well remember they average about Ks. 600-700, $9 - 10.50. They are not really big enough to share.

I've had both their gnocchi and their meat lasagna so far, and both were OK. I liked the somewhat heavy consistency of the gnocchi, but the sauce needed bolder flavors. Abundant Parmessan cheese helped. It was a very generous portion.

I'm not sure what I didn't like about the lasagna - other than the fact that the noodles were cooked al dente and that it could have used more cheese. I guess the sauce just didn't buy me over. I've had better and worse.

I've only eaten at the restaurant once, and it was a very pleasant experience. It has a large patio, with shaded tables - which makes for a great dining experience in a warm day. Alas, the March rains have arrived in Nairobi, so eating inside may be a better option now. Their dining rooms are quite elegant.

I am sure that I will eat at the Osteria del Chainti again, and I'll probably comment here about those meals.

Osteria del Chianti
Lenana Road
Nairobi
2 72 31 73

I will finish my restaurant blogging for the night by mentioning The Cedars, a Lebanese restaurant located a few hundred feet from our apartment building. I haven't there yet, but last night we ordered their Mezze for Two platter (I think Ks.2600, $40) and I was quite impressed with the quantity and quality of the food - enough to feed 3 with leftovers. I can't quite remember everything included but the meal consisted of little containers of mini cheese and meat empanadas (slightly sweet), kofta, hummus, babaghanoush, yogurt and pita bread, potatoes, a tomato salad, dolmas, vegetables, and a bunch of other things. Most of it tasted quite good, the kofta were particularly tasty.

The Cedars supposedly does not deliver, but my team mate Martin is so amazing, he can get most people to do anything for him, so they did bring us the food.

I'm sure we'll order from there again, and I'll comment about it below.

The Cedars Restaurant
Lenana Road
Nairobi
02-710399

The Java House is a little mall restaurant in the Ya Ya center serving coffees and pastries, as well as sandwiches and burgers and breakfast foods. The prices are the same or a little bit above what you'd pay in America - and the food can be pretty good. I've been there twice, already, and we'll probably go back again.

On my previous visit I ordered their BBQ beef sandwich. I wasn't incredibly happy with it, the sandwich was pretty dry and the bbq sauce scant and not that tasty. I wouldn't order it again. Today I had their cheeseburger (Ks. 380 - $5.70) and once again I wasn't happy. The hamburger was well done and very, very dry. I guess I could have ordered it less cooked, and that would have helped, but I'm not sure that I want to eat ground beef in Kenya that it's not well done. Not that I have any reason for this prejudice. The flavor was good enough, but I wouldn't order it again. It came with fries which weren't particularly crispy - all the fries I've had here have been on the soft side - but were tasty.

My colleague had the double chicken sandwich (Ks. 580 - $8.70). He thought it was very good.

We took home an avocado, cheese and tomato sandwich for another colleague (Ks. 300 - $4.50), and I hear these are quite good.

Java House is part of a Nairobi chain.

Java House
Yaya Center
Nairobi
http://www.nairobijavahouse.com/

We're lucky that our apartment is situated in an area where there are several restaurants. We eat out practically every night, and it's good to have variety. Last night it was our turn to try Ethiopian food - and Red Sea in particular. It was quite good.

I went with Paul and Avi, two of my colleagues, and both Paul and I had the mixed meat plate. This includes 4 different meat "stews" and a hardboiled egg with sauce. There is also some veggies and cheese. The whole thing is served on a huge platter, on top of injera. A couple of the stews were spicy (but not very spicy) and the other two were mild. They were all very good, among the best ones I've had at Ethiopian restaurants.

Avi, on the other hand, was less lucky with his fish. He ordered something that looked like fish sticks with a sauce. He wasn't that pleased with it.

Service was good and friendly.

The restaurant itself has an outdoor bar area - where we ate - which is rather informal, there is even a TV, but can be pleasant on a warm night. There is also an indoor dining room which I didn't check out.

The meal, which included a few non-alcoholic drinks but no desserts (all they had were fruit salads, came to about Ks 2200, $33.

Red Sea
Lenana Road
Nairobi

I liked The Hood restaurant. It reminded me of the modest parrillas you can find throughout Argentina and other Latin American countries. It's mostly an outdoor restaurant, with a plethora of tables situated in a lawn under tents and hatches. There is some inside seating too (and given that the rains are coming that's probably a good thing).

They specialize in grilled meats, though they also had other more elaborate dishes (which I can't remember now). It's moderately priced - dishes averaged $6 or so -, lunch for two was Ks 860 - $13, including three non-alcoholic drinks).

I went with Luke, a team member and new friend, and we had a nice time talking in the fresh air. What we did not enjoy was waiting for over an hour for lunch. Not only were we hungry, but we did have to get back to work! So my advise is to go here only if you are really not in a hurry.

As for the food, Luke got the grilled goat and I had the grilled beef. A chunk of bone-in meat is bbq'd whole and then the waiter (or actually, someone other than the waiter) cuts it into bite-size pieces tableside. Both the goat and the beef were quite good, the goat in particular, and they both were pretty tough. The beef was quite fatty as well. You are meant to eat the meat with your hands, and they bring a kettle with warm water to wash your hands before lunch, but we decided to go western and use forks and knives instead. It helped for cutting the fat. I have yet to encounter tender meat in Kenya. The meat was well done - I'd forgotten at first to ask for medium rare, and later I thought that I might as well not chance it anyway.

I had fries on the side, which were good. Actually all fries in Kenya taste pretty much the same way, they must be cooked with the same oil (I must inquire as to what they use). They are usually not very crispy, but tasty.

In all it was a good meal, in pleasant - if not elegant - surroundings.

The Hood Restaurant
Kasuku Road Kilimani
Nairobi
Kenya
2371410
1731181

I ended up at Alfajiri Bar and Grill Tuesday night. I'd asked my Kenyan colleague, Lee, to meet over dinner to give me some background information on Kenya. I'm here, after all, but I still know so little about the country. He was nice enough to come and bring a couple of friends with him - I brought Luke and Avi myself.

Alfajiri was Lee's idea, and I wondered if the restaurant was mostly geared towards a Kenyan clientele. Its menu, on the other hand, was quite eclectic and international - it had everything from steak dianne to lamb korma to steak fajitas. Indeed, it was the steak fajitas that I went for. I'm not sure what I was expecting but what I got was a tortilla-like-wrap (but not quite a tortilla) filled with marinated meat. The meat was tasty, though it had an African rather than Mexican flavor. I couldn't quite recognize the spices, though.

I tried the samosas and they were very tasty, a bit spicy but nice.

I didn't ask my friends what they thought of their meal, but I guess everyone thought it was good enough.

We all had a couple of beers with dinner, and the whole bill came to about Ks 1000 - $15 each, not the cheapest place around, but not that bad.

The restaurant itself is a bit disconcerting. It has a few rooms inside, the one we originally chose had banquettes and low tables, but with music and the TV on, it was too loud to carry out a normal conversation. They also have a patio area, as well as some tables dispersed throughout the lawn. We chose one away from the music and were able to enjoy our conversation.

Service was pretty good.

Alfajiri Bar and Grill
Malim Juma Road
Nairobi
Kenya

I've been in Nairobi for two weeks already, and yet I have seen little of the city. I commute between my apartment and my job, 300 yards away, and my greatest excursions are to the supermarket or Ya-Ya center. Once I went downtown. It's sad.

Fortunately, our colleague Lee came to my rescue and that of my friends Luke and Avi last night. He decided we had to sample Nairobi fare outside our little district, and took us to the Indian part of town. On the way we saw a couple of amazing looking temples. Our destination was Diamond Plaza, a little, very informal open-air small mall that offers a myriad of restaurant stands that serve you while you eat in the semi-open air or in your car. Most of the offerings are Indian - though there is also Chinese, ice cream and a couple of juice stands.

I can't recall the name of the stand from which I got my food - I can only tell you that its waiters wore bright yellow jackets. I can also tell you that my chicken korma (Ks. 350 - $5.25) was delicious, not as sweet as other kormas I've had, but with depths and vibrancy. The portion was very generous and I endeavored to eat it all. I also got some naan (Ks. 50 - 75c), which I used to scoop the chicken. Kenyans are not big on eating utensils.

Avi got a bunch of south Indian snack food from another stand. Most of it was quite good, he never gets to eat this type of food at home, so he was quite happy. Luke got a mixed grill from yet another stand, and he was happy with it - though he confessed his food wasn't as good as mine. I had a bite of a marinated kebab, and I liked the strong flavor and the fact that the meat was actually tender, but it was too spicy for me. Lee had a scrawny looking chicken tikka leg, he didn't mention whether he liked it.

We loved the atmosphere, the lights and the people - but it was a Thursday night and comparably quiet. It's supposed to be a mad house on weekend nights, so I wouldn't try it then.

Diamond Plaza
Parklands
Nairobi
Kenya

Punjabi by Nature is one of the restaurants in the foodcourt at "Prestige Plaza", where the closest Najumatt to our apartment building is. They have several restaurants/stands, offering Kenyan, Indian, Turkish, Chinese and other foods. I've had the Turkish stuff before and it wasn't bad. The mutton korma I had tonight at Punjabi by Nature wasn't particularly good.

Its main problem was that it lacked complexity, the sauce was spicy but otherwise bland (if that makes sense). I ate it - and the hot naam with which it was served was pretty good, and the mutton was tender. Still, I probably wouldn't go there again.

The mutton korma was Ks.450 - $6.75, about average for the restaurant.

Punjabi by Nature
Nakumatt, Ngong Road
@ Prestige Plaza
1st Floor, Food Court
Nairobi
0721625900

This afternoon we went to lunch to Basilico, a pizzeria a the Ya Ya Center in Hurlingham. My colleagues wanted to go to Osteria del Chianti, but I'd just been there Monday night AND Wednesday night, and there has to be a limit at how often one patronizes a restaurant! Plus it's not like I like their food that much.

So when Gabriel, a colleague from work, suggested that there was an Italian place at the Ya Ya Center, and Brianna (my boss) said it was OK with her, I was quite happy. And indeed, I had a pretty good eating experience.

Basilico is your typical shopping mall deli-style restaurant, don't expect much in the way of ambiance here. But it's cute enough. It offers sandwiches, pizzas, pastas and a few main dishes. But being an Italian place I decided to go for the pasta. I had fusilli (I think) with a tomato mushroom-prosciutto sauce. It was quite good, just the sort of hearty Italian pasta I like. The pasta itself was not cooked al dente (it wasn't soft either), which was a big plus for me.

Gabriel was less happy with his pasta with a gorgonzola cream sauce. He'd had it before and he'd enjoyed it, or maybe he misremembered. Brianna had nothing bad to say about her fish & chips, and as someone who has hang out in London quite a bit, that's probably a high recommendation.

Prices were in the mid hundreds, my pasta, for example, was Ks. 600 - $9. Outrageously expensive if you ask me, but that's the name of the game in Nairobi.

Basilico
Ya Ya Center
Lenana Road
Nairobi
0721 618886

The Moonflower restaurant is located at the Palacina Residence and Suites - an apartment building not far from our own in Nairobi. A colleague lives there and we decided to join her for dinner there a few nights ago. It was a pretty good experience and, but for the price, I wouldn't hesitate on going there again.

The Moonflower is mostly an open air restaurant. They have a few tables inside, more in a veranda and some on the law. There is even one within a very nice looking Arabian style tent. The place is very nice. I'd describe its menu as serving California cuisine, or at least new American cuisine. There are pastas, ribs and even duck. Most dishes are around Ks 1000, ($15) - which is not really expensive if you think in western terms.

This time we decided to have a full-fledged meal. We started with appetizers. Gabriel had the shrimp and Brianna the asparagus (I think they were about Ks. 600 - $9). They both liked them. I had the baked brie (about the same price), which was OK. Everyone liked it, but I've had better. It was definitely good with the apple slices, but three lilliputian slices didn't go far. It'd have been better, of course, if served with some good quality balsamic vinegar.

My main dish were ribs (Ks 1100, $16.50 for a full rack, Ks 800, $12 for half a rack), which I shared with Gabriel. They were good, the glaze was pretty nice - sweet and tangy - but they weren't really tender. I don't know if it was a problem with the meat or knowing how to really cook it. Brianna had the fish and chips, a dish which she enjoys often. She was very pleased with this version. Gabriel had a pasta with salmon, a dish which he also often orders. He thought this version was nice, but his expectations weren't great either. As for Fiona, she went for the duck. This was probably the worst dish of the evening. The half duck was glazed with some sweet black sauce that didn't make it look particularly appetizing. Its main problem, however, was that it was quite dry - very, very overcooked. The glace was nice, but the meat itself wasn't well seasoned. I'd definitely not order it.

Fiona was luckier for dessert. She got the berry pavlova and she liked it a lot, the bite I had was very nice. I had the flourless chocolate cake, and it was also good though not outstanding. I don't remember how much desserts were, but they weren't cheap.

In all, we had a very good time at Moonflower - it was relaxing and enjoyable and if I was ever in Nairobi again, I'd revisit it.

Moonflower
at the Palacina Residence & Suites
Kitale Lane, off Dennis Pritt Road
Nairobi
+254-20-2715517
http://www.palacina.com/moonflower.asp

How is this possible? I have blogged about almost every restaurant I went to in Kenya - but I forgot Carnivore! Carnivore, of all restaurants? The most famous restaurant in Nairobi, if not Africa, by any measure? How could I forget?

And yet, I remember writing about it, but where? I can't find it in any of my blogs. So I will have to blog about it again. For Carnivore is a restaurant that deserves some attention.

First of all, I'm sad to announce, that Carnivore no longer serves game meat. There seems to be a law against the selling of game meat, so the only thing in the least exotic in their menu is crocodile (which is bony and has a mild fish flavor). They also had ostrich meatballs, but ostrich stopped being exotic, at least in California, quite a long time ago. The meatballs were pretty good, though.

The way it works, at least for those ordering meats, is that for a fixed price (I don't remember how much, about $25, I think), they bring large chunks of meats which the carve for you tableside. The meats are cooked in Maasai swords over a large BBQ pit at the front of the restaurant. Most are marinated, and most of them were pretty good. The first round of meat comes pretty quickly, but if you want seconds you will have to chase the waiter.

Among my favorites that night (early March, 2008) were the sweetly basted chicken wings, the also sweet but not very meaty pork ribs and the nicely seasoned lamb chops. The sliced meat and pork were too dry for my taste, though the fruit sauce helped the pork a little. The chicken was not bad either, though also a bit dry, as was the leg of lamb. They also had several things I didn't bother trying: chicken gizzards, turkey and sausages.

Avi, who keeps kosher, had food from the vegetarian menu. I don't remember what he ordered however, but his first dish was so bad he had to send it back. He rather enjoyed the one he got to replace it. The vegetarian menu is also all-you-can-eat.

Luke had several dawas to drink, while I stayed with cokes. I think Avi had wine.

For dessert I first ordered the blondie with ice cream, but that thing was inedible, it tasted like dry, dense cardboard. Fortunately they had no problem exchanging it for some OK ice cream. Avi and Luke shared a pineapple cake which wasn't bad, and a cheesecake that tasted and felt more like light lemon pudding.

The restaurant itself was pretty empty in early March, though I'm sure as tourists return to Kenya, the place gets very loud and crazy. I'm not sure if that would be for the better or worse. In any case, it's a place I wouldn't mind going back to.

Dinner came to a little over Ks 7000 for the three of us (upwards of $105) - which really wasn't too bad for the experience.

Carnivore Retaurant
Nairobi
Kenya
605933-7 602786

December 2010

We go to Emil Villa from time to time. We usually get a BBQ ribs combo to share - 3 types of ribs with two sides for about $22. We all like the ribs, Mika in particular. The other food is less successful. Breakfast, in particular, is best avoided.

March 2008

Last night Mike went out with an old friend to dinner (he went to La Provence, in the Mission, where he had an OK soup and some awesome ravioli) and I was left at home with the kids. I was feeling pretty jealous, so I decided to take the kids out to dinner myself. I'd been in the mood for BBQ ribs for a while, and Mika couldn't resist the smoky aroma of Emil Villa's, so that's where we headed. Even though Camila was a little devil, it was a good choice.

We decided to share the ribs platter, which has gone up in price (it's $21 now) and gone down in variety/amount of food (it now comes just with two sides and buns, no soup or salad). Still, the ribs were enough for a mom and one kid (Camila only ate 1 rib). We enjoyed all of them. My favorite were the baby back ribs which had a very nice glace and did not need any extra BBQ sauce. The other ones were definitely helped by the sweet sauce, which wasn't too spicy even for Mika. I'd definitely order this again.

The french fries and mashed potatoes we ordered were pretty ordinary, nothing to write home about.

This time we weren't too full for dessert (when is a 6 yo too full for dessert?), and Mika ordered the chocolate cream pie ($4 a slice). It didn't look that chocolaty to me, but she liked it. I had no complaints about the banana cream pie ($4 for smallish slice). It was bananaish and creamy, and very good. I may make a banana cream pie today myself :) Camila had some chocolate ice cream ($3), which was unwisely served on a saucer. It was very chocolaty.

Dinner for the 3, including 3 drinks, came to $39. Not cheap, but those were pretty good ribs.

Emil Villa's
1800 E 14th St
San Leandro, CA
(510) 351-7427

San Leandro Restaurant Reviews