Misono Japanese Restaurant

Misono, a sushi and teppanyaki Japanese restaurant, makes its triumphant return to Nairobi nightlife with its reopening in the Greenhouse building on Ngong Road. It has been reopened for awhile now and last night was my third time back to the new location. While their old space was conveniently located on Lenana road within walking distance of my apartment and boasted a lovely garden, their new digs are updated, larger, and have better service.

I have always loved their food but their service wasn't just lacking before, it was terrible. Many people I know would avoid eating there at all costs because of their inability to serve an accurate order in any sort of timely manner. Happily, the new restaurant has ironed these wrinkles out and the service is immensely better. The waiters are engaging and charming and I have never had an incorrect order served even though my maiden return voyage included a group of eight with too many sushi rolls to count. They even kept the restaurant open to serve us after we called ahead to let them know we wanted to come but were going to arrive just before closing.

Photo credit: Graham Hallworth

As a creature of habit I stick to what I know and enjoy which is sushi. You can rarely go wrong with these go-to rolls: special tuna, rainbow, and dynamite. I try to keep my cravings to a minimum as my tummy is always too small to comply with all the delicacies I think I need to order; I am never able to control myself. Fortunately, last night's dining accomplice, Sir Cookie Boy, not only enjoyed his mixed sushi platter for one but also assisted in finishing off my uneaten pieces. According to Sir Cookie Boy; "(It was) a great relaxed evening, great food, and the service has improved 100%. My favorite was the tuna sashimi." However, the Handsome Hamburglar who always willing to spare his two cents, chimed in with; "the sushi is good for Nairobi, (but) it's still uninspiring. I've had better experiences with Furosato and Zen Garden, but none have amazing sushi. Basically, they all get their fish from the same place. Spicy tuna is spicy tuna." Cocktail Contessa stuck to what she knows best with her assessment; "good sake."

While it's a bit pricy, it's moderate in comparison to other local Japanese restaurants. They even have regular sushi rolls for under KES 500. As one of my friends commented recently, it's next to impossible to get any special sushi roll anywhere in Nairobi for less than KES 1000 these days, which considering our proximity to fresh seafood I think is just crazy. It's an hour flight, people; why are you hiking up the import prices? So go forth, eat, enjoy, and let me know your thoughts on the teppanyaki and whether or not I should branch out from my regular smattering of sushi, sashimi, and rolls.