Something worth savouring

For a long time I have felt like that child in primary school who never went on a certain school excursion so everybody sniggered at him whenever conversations came up about the sights they had seen and how much fun they had. Only difference is that in my case, rather than some geographic formation, the reason for my ostracisation is a restaurant, and my tormentors are adults. All my friends who appreciate dining out have sung for years, the praises of About Thyme restaurant along Eldama Ravine Road in the Westlands suburb of Nairobi. As luck would have it, each time I have made a reservation at About Thyme, something has come up at the last minute which has forced me to cancel my plans of going there. It became so bad that I started making reservations under a false name. So when an old friend of mine decided that we go there for dinner the other day, I did not even bother calling ahead, and set the time for a half hour earlier than I intended for god measure.

The sprawling bungalow which houses the restaurant is underwhelming from the outside; a vestige of the colonial architecture of days gone. A dark, narrow driveway leads to it from the guarded gate past a decent sized parking lot and until you cross the foyer into the indoor dining room, a relative silence hangs above the leafy compound. Subtle gold and soft purple are the predominant colours in the dining room which is simply but tastefully furnished and opens up to a covered patio. Beyond this is a terraced garden with tables for four under wide umbrellas and a cosy alcove for larger groups.

FAMISHED

Because I was famished, it dismayed to learn that my order of stuffed barbecue pork chops would take a half hour to prepare but then I took comfort in the fact that it would be made from scratch without cutting corners. My mate claimed he wasn’t very hungry and settled on a butternut and ginger soup which I envied but chose not to have because the prices at About Thyme are something to inspire frugality.

Much to my delight, my order was ready before the said time but when it was placed before me, I was a little disappointed by the rather uninspired plating which screamed laziness. My charcoal grilled loin chops were nice and thick and looked slightly charred in some places which is always a good sign for me. The slabs of meat were crispy to the touch but soft enough to slice through with one easy swipe of the knife. Heck, I could have used a butter knife and it would still have been effortless. Lined with controlled portions of herby mozzarella cheese, sage and onion, the flavour was absolutely divine. A house-made apple sauce accompanied the meal but I found it a tad bit too sweet for my meat and used it as a dip for my chips which I had asked for as a substitute for the listed herby mashed potatoes. My creamed spinach went down a real treat and when I cleared my plate, I was slow to drink anything for fear of disturbing the happiness in my mouth so I just sat there for minutes on end savouring the residual flavours.