Lord Delamere's Terrace

#NRW2014 posts continue, this time in CBD.  Located opposite University of Nairobi, Fairmont The Norfolk Hotel is home to several restaurants including the open air cafe for which they are best known, Lord Delamere's Terrace, named for one of Kenya's original settlers. While the interior of the hotel and terrace were lovely, overlooking an active construction site did not lend itself to the ambiance one would expect from such a historical establishment. Fortunately, this is transitional and should hopefully be remedied at some point in the near future.... That, I suppose, is what happens when Nairobi literally grows up around the luxury hotel.

It's dark, but you can't miss the lights of the campus and lovely metal construction boards

The menu gave three selections for the starters and main courses. Since I was accompanied by a couple of friends we tried to choose different dishes in order to experience the full array of offerings.

#NRW2014 menu

The selection of starters was right up our alley with not one but two very cheesy options. We agreed that the fresh tasting oven-dried tomatoes and goat cheese mousse had just the right combination of crispness and flavors; however, while palatable, we missed the strength of the goat cheese. Other than that minor flaw, the appetizer was judged the favorite.  The broccoli and blue cheese soup was deemed the perfect comfort food with a creamy base and large broccoli florets, but was a bit bland. Not to worry, it was nothing that couldn't be remedied with a little salt and pepper and perhaps some more blue cheese.

If there's one thing that the restaurant excelled at, other than attentive customer service, it was their presentation.  Every dish was a work of art!

Roasted chicken

Salmon

Shepherd's pie

For the pescatarian/vegetarian of the group, the salmon was the obvious choice, but with a well-spiced salmon there were no complaints. The novelty wood plank upon which the fish was cooked made not only an attractive dish, but also really enhanced the flavor. Advertised as "creamy", the mash was more natural than blended, but the sweet and savory fig gravy was delightful. The second option of a lemon and thyme roasted chicken ended up being a little dry, but the earthy wild mushroom ragout more than compensated for it. I loved the shepherd's pie. It was not as heavy or bland as many tend to be with a creamy potato top layer and au gratin cheese crust.

As I have pointed out in earlier posts, I don't do dessert so you will have to take the word of my dining companions on the "Chef's Selection" platter. They both thought the cheese cake was amazing and not dry like so many cakes tend to be. However, they did comment that the cherries tasted fake. I take that to mean they came from a can rather than fresh off the bush. They also liked the tiramisu but commented that the coffee strength varied between our selections.

Dessert platter

I would totally head back to the terrace for a nice brunch or lunch meeting.  I thought the overall experience was lovely and recommend everyone check out one of Kenya's colonial gems.