Angelo's Restaurant

Billed as an "Afritalian cafe" on the beachfront at Shark Rock Pier there is not much Italian or African about the cuisine. It did have a few pasta dishes, some Thai platters, burgers, and several salads.  However, the ambiance is great with two patios overlooking the Indian Ocean. The restaurant is located on the "boardwalk" next to the KFC and below Barney's (a brewhouse with great live music). The food is very inexpensive, a full plate of pasta or half portion with a garden salad is only 49R. My friend commented that we only spent USD3 more per person than we did for our seafood takeaway at lunch and we had a bottle of wine in addition to our dinner. 

Unfortunately, the food is only mediocre and the service left much to be desired. The best I can say is everything was edible. The waiter swore to my friend (who did not have a lot of vegetarian options to choose from on the menu) that the tuna was fresh and absolutely did not come from a can. Hmmm, how does one flake "fresh" tuna into something that appears to have been scraped out of a can onto a salad? 

Naan Sushi

Since I'm only in the Big D for about nine days I have packed full my calendar with lunches and dinners with friends I haven't seen since I was in town last Christmas. My first day back I arranged to meet a friend for an early dinner at what I expected to be Indian restaurant in Uptown. I was a bit confused when I discovered that we would actually be eating sushi at Naan. We made it in time for their daily happy hour special; they host an ever changing selection of specials ranging from half priced rolls to $3 bottomless mimosas and bloody marys on the weekend.

Mandhari Restaurant

Yesterday evening I sat on the Mandhari Terrace in the Serena Hotel just outside of City Center and was wined and dined by my favorite Curry Delight. The restaurant was quiet, a relief from the other restaurants we had considered dining that night. The table overlooked the pool and CBD and was punctuated with the musical musings of a bevy of frogs and crickets with only an occasional burst of laughter wafting up from the pool bar below.

The waitstaff was attentive, if a bit hovering, but very professional. All I needed to do was to turn my head in their direction before someone scurried over to assist us, and they never let our drinks empty without requesting if we needed another.

The head chef is French and apparently visits the restaurant several times a year but the menu provides an array of choices ranging from set multi-course menus to continental a la carte or even a surprise five course menu specially designed by the chef. The cocktail selection was nothing exciting, just the typical drinks you expect to see in Kenya- Pimms, Dawa, Bloody Mary, with a couple of others thrown in to round off the menu. Their wine menu was extensive, but as the sole consumer of wine my choices were a bit limited to those they sold by the glass as I did not want to attempt to drink an entire bottle by myself. 

Waterfront Bar and Restaurant

My colleague and I went to Dar es Salaam for a weekend of civilization away from the small Tanzanian village where we were staying. On our last night there we tried to go to dinner at a local nyama choma joint which we discovered was closed on Mondays so we went to the only other restaurant we knew in the area that had been recommended by her friend; Waterfront. 

Location: It's located in Slipway shopping center next to the Double Tree Hilton hotel in Masaki on the peninsula.
Price: Entrees seemed to range anywhere from 8000-25,000 TZS.  Drinks were a bit pricey for what I've seen reflected in other establishments throughout Tanzania; they were more indicative of Nairobi prices with house wine costing 5,000 TZS. 
Atmosphere: The shopping center is Village Market-esque with upscale stores overlooking the ocean. There are several restaurants inside; Waterfront is located in the back directly over the water.

La Salumeria

Fellow foodie, frequent dining companion, and drinking buddy, Cocktail Contessa, writes about one of our favorite (and conveniently located) Italian joints in Nairobi: 

One of my favorite culinary discoveries since first arriving in Nairobi two months ago has been a little Italian joint by the name of Salumeria, located dangerously close to my flat on Gitanga Rd. It's dim candlelit atmosphere and inside/outside seating options offers the perfect environment for both casual indulgence and/or emotional overeating, depending on your state of mind. Start off with a litre/half litre carafe of the house red (again, depending on your emotional state of mind) while gorging yourself on the bread basket, which comes with an assortment of slightly undercooked and slightly overcooked options. According to our Nairobi Nightlife Guru, Micah, "The squishy bread is the best, the hard bread sucks. It's like a rock." I have to agree, although I was forced to consume large quantities of the hard stuff due to Micah's aggressive nature when it comes to bread baskets. Drowning it in oil helps.

Seven Seafood and Grill: Updated

This was my third visit to Seven but my first time for dinner. Previously I had only sampled their drink selection. Their dinner options had always looked a bit pricey for what you get and I'd been told that their lunch menu is a better value but the desire to celebrate my birthday on 7/7 at Seven (at 7pm) was too hard to resist. (I'm a sucker for the cutesy factor.)

Location: ABC Place (corner of James Gichuru and Waiyaki Way) next to Mercury

Price: definitely one of the pricier joints in town. As the birthday girl I wasn't allowed to pay for my meal, much less see the bill, but from what I heard the total for a table of 14 ended up somewhere between 55-60,000 KSH (approximately $611-667 USD).

Atmosphere: They have a small area for outdoor seating but even inside the whole restaurant feels very open.  It's got a very hip, modern feel about it.

Sierra Bar and Brasserie

Location: Yaya Centre, the bar is on the 2nd floor next to the food court and the restaurant and terrace is upstairs on the 3rd floor
Price: Starters and platters cost between KES 500-1800 ($6.25-22.50), entrees range between KES 800-1800 ($10-22.50), beers KES 180-200 ($2.25-2.50), wine KES 350 per glass (~$4.40)
Atmosphere: While the restaurant is located inside Yaya, which doesn't sound like the place you want to go for a fancy dinner, once you're seated on the terrace (or beer garden as they refer to it) you don't even think about the fact that you're at a mall.  However, the same can't necessarily said about the lounge on the 2nd floor.  It is directly next to the food court and surrounded by shops so you don't get the same quiet effect as when you dine upstairs.

Fairview Hotel

The Fairview has four restaurants to choose from, two of which I've had the opportunity to try out. I have yet to venture over to their gourmet restaurant, Pango, and exclusive wine cellar/bar but am looking forward to visiting at some point. 

Location: Upper Hill on Bishop Road across from the Israeli Embassy
Price: Beers KES 250 (~$3.15), Cocktails starting around KES 350 (~$4.40), Mukutan Garden Cafe entrees KES ~400-1000 (~$5-12.50)
Atmosphere: The garden cafe has a lovely water feature and it is easy to forget that you are so close to the City Centre when sitting surrounded by plush greenery and are shielded from the honks of Nairobi traffic.

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.

Mediterraneo: Updated

Location: Ngong Road in Junction Shopping Center next to Java House, Westlands in Pamstech House on Woodvale Grove between Lower Kabete and Mpaka (now closed), Westlands at NineWest; Runda near the UN
Price: Entrees 800-1400 KSH (approx. $10-17.50)
Atmosphere: The Westlands location has a smaller, more intimate atmosphere, but the balcony and patio seating at Junction is nice as well. It's nicer to go later in the evening to the Junction location as the patio is directly next to Java House and it gets quite busy and noisy there during mall hours.