Roberto Miano's massive servings of great food

I’ve always considered ‘niche market’ to be a hackneyed term which I swore to never use, as I associate it with self-important business types who I often find unbearable.

However, I am not one to deny anyone their credit because of the fear that by doing so I might undermine my convictions.

Roberto Miano is a little known food service delivery provider par excellence, who for more than a decade has fought to carve out a ‘niche market’ for himself and succeeded.

He has achieved this by supplying top quality Italian food items including wine, cheese, pasta and olive oil to retail and wholesale traders in Mombasa, where he lives, and beyond.

Roberto also runs one of the finest Italian cuisine restaurants (eponymously named) on the strip. I was recently in the coastal city and agreed to meet up with some friends for dinner there, as it was the resoundingly favoured rendezvous.

ITALIAN CUISINE

Having moved from the Nyali Cinemax complex to a nondescript bungalow off Links Road, it was hard to find this new spot.

The signage requires a lot more visibility, but such is the extent of Roberto’s popularity that even on a Monday at 10pm, the place was packed to the rafters with customers, including a rowdy party of his own that was there to celebrate his birthday.

Despite the little shindig in his honour, Roberto and his wife made sure to stop at each table and ask after the clients as only a restaurateur of that kind would.

I had earlier been a little frustrated by the absence of a full menu online, but managed to stay calm.

Perusing it at the restaurants, it was packed with the most sumptuous sounding offerings despite its lack of aesthetic appeal. Combine authentic Italian cuisine, innovative kitchen staff and close proximity to the ocean and you have culinary magic.

To start, we shared a sublime crudo of snapper which was not very elegantly presented (but who cares when it’s so good?) and crumbed spinach balls which were mildly flavoured, providing great balance for the tartness of the more ‘colourful’ snapper.

Following this was a nearly comical display of lobster obsession; our three entrees all featured lobster in its different permutations.

VIOLENT KITCHEN RAID

None of us were ready for they portions. They are massive – the kind of massive that requires one to ditch dinner plate for serving tray to present on.

Not the biggest fan of red seafood or pasta sauce, I requested that my linguine with grilled baby lobster be cooked in a white sauce and that is exactly what I got – only larger than expected.

Between my friends’ 800gm lobster thermidor and mixed seafood platter, our table looked like the loot from a violent kitchen raid.

While we all agreed that the thermidor with its brandy infused sauce was spectacular, Roberto who had swung by to share with us some sparkling wine from his own table, cringed with feigned contempt.

He reminded us that back at home it would be a travesty to cook with dumplings of cream and butter which is more reminiscent of French cuisine, and we all had a good laugh at his expense. Solid chap, that. If I returned to Roberto’s next week, it would be a day too late.