Beat the Heat: Hungry Expat's G&T

It is a curious fact, and one to which no one knows quite how much importance to attach, that something like 85% of all known worlds in the Galaxy, be they primitive or highly advanced, have invented a drink called jynnan tonyx, or gee-N'N-T'N-ix, or jinond-o-nicks, or any one of a thousand or more variations on the same phonetic theme. The drinks themselves are not the same, and vary between the Sivolvian ‘chinanto/mnigs’ which is ordinary water served at slightly above room temperature, and the Gagrakackan 'tzjin-anthony-ks’ which kills cows at a hundred paces; and in fact the one common factor between all of them, beyond the fact that their names sound the same, is that they were all invented and named before the worlds concerned made contact with any other worlds. –Douglas Adams, Restaurant at the End of the Universe

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.

Wagamama: Updated

Updated 20 Jun 2013: Traveling on yet another early morning flight through Heathrow Terminal 5, I bee-lined over to Wagamama. I contemplated trying somewhere new but the booths are comfortable, the servers are friendly and don't hurry you out if you take your time reading and drinking coffee, plus I was in the mood for something more than just eggs and toast.

While the menu does offer more traditional fare, I spiced up my order this time around with a vegetarian Japanese pancake. The wasabi mayonnaise was sublime. I am definitely importing some of that back to Nairobi! After sleeping through two in-flight meals, I wasn't sure if just a pancake would be enough to quench the hunger, but it was plate-size and quite filling.

There's something for everyone here, from the traditional English breakfast to Japanese delights; as long as you can get over the culture shock of paying about 9 quid for a pancake and two cups of coffee then make this a must-eat your next time through Heathrow. 

21 Nov 2012 initial visit: I am currently on a little break from the African diet since I traveled home to the States earlier this week to celebrate Thanksgiving and stuff myself with all the delicious foods that are not readily available in Kenya. On Monday I flew through London's Heathrow airport where I had a layover from about 5am UK time onward. Great. After a 10 hour flight everyone wants to sit in an airport for five hours early in the morning.

Anvil Pub

Former expat, queen of snark, and determined vegetarian, Rachel B., recently returned to the motherland, Dallas, Texas, where she shares her initial impressions of the new bar and eatery on the scene, Anvil Pub.  

For those of you not intimately familiar with Dallas' foodie scene, it's like this: shopping and eating are king in this town and new restaurants, bars, and clubs open and close at an astounding speed as the locals rave and then, 30 minutes later, find a new hotspot to frequent until they once again grow bored. Entrepreneurial restauranteurs must seek the happy medium of becoming the neighborhood hang out as well wooing hipsters to a trendy new locale. It's a status seldom achieved and many promising and delicious start ups fall by the wayside in a sad collection of once celebrated venues now forgotten. Read on as Rachel details her experience and pronounces Anvil a temporary success: