26 April 2011

Osteria del Chianti: Updated

Osteria is the purveyor of delicious Italian food throughout Nairobi. I have dined at both the Hurlingham and Village Market locations and just discovered that there is yet another location in Karen. I have yet to go there but I think I prefer the Kilimani restaurant as there is also a building selling ice cream out behind back. The chocolate was a bit strong but the chocolate chip was delicious.

Location: Kililmani: corner of Chaka Rd and Lenana (shares a parking lot with Casablanca); Village Market: upstairs on the Nakumatt side of the mall; Karen: I haven't been to this location but I understand it is on Ngong past the Karen Shopping Center and Talisman roundabout
Price: Beers KES 200, Cocktails KES 500-800 (~$6.25-$10), Entrees KES 600+ (~$7.50)
Atmosphere: The Kilimani location has a lovely garden area with chimeneas throughout as well as indoor seating.  Despite being located in a mall, the Village Market location was nice and had live music playing on the balcony.

I don't have a go-to dish at this restaurant as I do at Mediterraneo, but nothing I've tried here has ever let me down. I haven't tried them but my friend swears by the lamb chops and might have returned from Holland just for this meal. I was also informed by one of my foodie companions that the mixed drinks are better from Casablanca (where conveniently you can either have food from Osteria delivered to you or you can just walk over and grab a table after happy houring it up in their garden/lounge) and worth the extra 100 bob per cocktail.  

Updated: I used to love their penne gorgonzola, but in recent years the quality has gone down and the price has gone up. It's fairly ridiculous to pay KES 900 for some pasta with cheese. At least when you are at the restaurant, you get a free bruschetta starter, but when you order in delivery, the portion is so small and greasy you end up extremely bitter. The only thing I would still visit specifically Osteria for is their carafe of decent house wine. 

Despite it's convenient location opposite my apartment, I stopped visiting over the last couple of years because of the decline in service. On one of my last visits, I went with 3 friends and they actually had to request a different waiter to serve us because of his poor attitude and demeanor. And this was not a group of expats who didn't know what to expect from Nairobi service, between us, we had a combined 12 years living in the region.

No comments:

Post a Comment