Giruz Bakery and Cafe

I recently had the opportunity to visit Giruz Bakery at Baani Square (Sector 50) for lunch and bread tasting during their soft opening. I have been eagerly awaiting their opening as there is a dearth of unique bread shops here in Gurgaon. I can easily find white or whole grain sliced breads, but few groceries offer speciality breads more than just a baguette or croissants, choosing to focus more on pastries than the wide array of tasty bread options. I previously tried L'Opera (at Galleria Market in DLF Phase 4 of Gurgaon and Hauz Khas Village in South Delhi) and the DLF Phase 5 Club bakery (on the ground floor of the main building near the central sitting area). L'Opera was hailed by my French friend (living in Bangalore with even less options than here) as fantastic and a much needed reminder of home. They have an excellent selection of pastries, specialty jams, and an array of teas, if you're into that kind of thing. The baguette and croissants are both quite good - their website boasts of several additional options that I have never seen fresh in the shops, but that could just because I don't make it over early enough to indulge. My parents loved their chocolate pastry.

Post-sightseeing snack at L'Opera Hauz Khas

I've only bought baguettes from the Phase 5 Club, and they were fine. However, their website also lists a number of bread options, most of which are gone by the time I stop in. I clearly need to prioritize my bread shopping! My problem is that I don't eat baguettes nearly fast enough and by nature they go stale and hard almost immediately. However, I learned from Giruz that in order to avoid wastage you should immediately freeze whatever you won't eat within the day. You can then later defrost piece by piece and they're just as fresh. 

What I didn't realize when I dropped into Giruz's bakery was that they also have a small cafe. I visited during their taste testing phase so they did not yet have a set menu and I was treated to a wide array of dishes they were testing on customers. Full disclosure: I did not pay for this meal (I did purchase my breads and cakes though); the owner is a friend who invited me for taste testing. I did not receive any compensation for this review and she did not ask me to write this - she just knows I love fresh bread and hopes I'll become a loyal customer.

Baani Square, while most consider it "out of the way" since it's not on Golf Course Road and is closer to Sohna Road, it's actually quite conveniently located next to the Hilton Garden hotel on Vikas Marg near Hibiscus and Nirvana Country. I live in Phase 5 and it's a short 10 minute drive most times of the day. There is a vast array of restaurants in this small shopping arcade. Other than Giruz, I've visited their fast food version of Lebanese food, Lub Lub (also quite good). I've also heard good things about The Spice Lab and Big Wong, but can't personally vouch for them. Giruz is located on the ground floor central section opposite Big Wong. They are a small and cozy cafe, with smart French country decor. If you still find it daunting to venture over yonder, Giruz also offers delivery options.

I started with vada pav, the pav, of course, was made fresh in house. It differs slightly from the traditional version in that the pakora, while still made from fried mashed potato batter, seasoning, and curry leaves, was not drenched in oil like most fried foods here. The sauces add another twist, with a topping of red chili sauce and a green coriander, ginger, garlic, and onion masala chutney. 

Fresh vada pao

Bruschetta on a French garlic bread baguette

Next up was some bruschetta on a toasted French garlic bread baguette. As this was their time to experiment with tastes and recipes, the chef added a twist of some chopped up olives to the traditional tomato and basil drizzled with olive oil which didn't strike my fancy since I despise olives (weird since I adore olive oil), but was good overall. Both crunchy and savoury with not too much oil or topping that the bread becomes soggy. My friend was not thrilled with the addition either, so I imagine if you order this dish today you'll get a more traditional version.

Local Moshi Lunch Spots

While working in Moshi my work colleague and I both wanted to find affordable options for lunch so each day we walked around town and picked a small local place to try.  Here's what we found:

Name: Chrisburger / Club Alberto

Location: On Kibo Road next door to the Impala Coach office just near the clock tower roundabout

Price: Their fast food menu is quite affordable.  Samosas are 500 TZS each; veg rice is 1500 TZS; and chai masala is 1000 TZS.

Atmosphere: the covered patio is enclosed with greenery and is a nice place to relax over lunch. Apparently it doubles as a bar/club in the evenings.

The service here is just as slow, if not slower, than most restaurants in Kenya. They forgot to charge us for our samosas one day and when we returned several days later for morning tea they hit us up for the amount. In general I find that very unprofessional since it was their mistake and it's not like they gave us a written bill in the first place so they couldn't show that we hadn't paid. However, I was worried the money had come out of the waitress' own pocket so we didn't comment.  

Abyssinia Exotic Ethiopian Restaurant: Updated

In my quest to eat my way through all of the Ethiopian restaurants in Nairobi I revisited Abyssinia. A former work colleague was in town for a couple of nights so I introduced him to the deliciousness, because while in Kenya why not gorge yourself on Ethiopian food?

Location: Brookside Grove behind Safaricom House in Westlands
Price: Beers 200 KSH ($2.50), Around 300-600 KSH per dish ($3.75-$7.50)
Atmosphere: There is a large outdoor patio as well as private rooms around the perimeter of the parking lot. It's surrounded by trees and set up in an old house like most Ethiopian restaurants in the area. It has always been quiet and a relaxing atmosphere to enjoy a leisurely dinner.

Savannah: The Coffee Lounge

While I usually gravitate to Java House out of convenience and their more expansive menu, I definitely prefer Savannah's atmosphere and drink selections. I hadn't made it over to Savannah since I returned to Nairobi a mere month ago and took the opportunity to meet some friends there prior to an evening play showing just a few blocks away. Despite the fact that a ketchup bottle exploded all over my friend and myself and the waitstaff was more concerned with mopping up the table rather than bringing us napkins to clean up, the bitings and smoothies were good.

Java House

With ten locations throughout Nairobi you can't miss Java House.  They have a wide variety of delectable pastries and even some Mexican dishes to choose from.  Granted, Nairobi's version of Mexican food is very different than a native Texan's, but it's definitely a nice option to have.  My personal fav is their tuna melt with masala chips.  Their masala tea and coffee, of course, is excellent as well.  I always go for a double white house coffee, they know just how much milk to put in without making it all white with no coffee (you wouldn't think this would be a difficult task, but you'd be surprised).  If you want to take a little bit of Nairobi home, you can also buy Java House coffee beans at the restaurant or any grocery store.

Horreya

Horreya (freedom in Arabic), a traditional cafe that serves beer in downtown Cairo, is back.  After being closed for over two months the expat community turned out in force the day of its reopening which just so happened to correspond with my first night in town.  On one side of the cafe locals gather to drink coffee and play chess, the other end is loud and smoky packed full of people drinking Stella, the only beer served in this establishment. 

Location: Downtown- Midan el-Falaki
Price: 9 LE per beer
Atmosphere: Brightly lit for a quasi-bar but definitely the place to be and be seen.  I was told there are other bars to patronize but if you want to be guaranteed to run into friends without having to set up something formal this is where you should show up.  It is also a bit of a peep show for the locals.  While the windows are covered to a point, we could still see an occasional face peering in to check out the scene.  Known for its 1930s feel, dingy mirrors, and dirty floors some of the dive charm has been cleaned up but regardless a fun time is guaranteed to all.