EATING & OUTING: Totally overpriced, totally worth it

While it is true that I really detest having to eat in shopping malls, Tapas Ceviche Bar manages to stand apart from similar businesses. PHOTO| FILE |NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • I have always appreciated the configuration of food items into several, vastly different small portions which, if well combined, can unlock the door to many fantastic experiences in a previously unknown world.
  • Tapas Ceviche Bar is housed in the Westgate Mall and offers overpriced, minuscule portions of anything you can think of.
  • Looking at the extensive menu, it was all I could do not to start dribbling spit from the side of my mouth.

Food and fashion have, for me, never been very far apart. Both serve very functional purposes at their most basic levels. When led and managed in a visionary manner, both inspire innovation, trade and the cultural interconnectivity of mankind. It is for this reason that I have always appreciated the configuration of food items into several, vastly different small portions which, if well combined, can unlock the door to many fantastic experiences in a previously unknown world – in the same way that fashion arrangements do. The Spanish obviously subscribe to this idea as is evidenced in the culture of tapas which involves pairing different appetiser menu items to create a meal. This for me is like putting together various wardrobe items to assemble an outfit.

AN EXPERIENCE LIKE NO OTHER

Tapas Ceviche Bar is housed in the Westgate Mall and offers overpriced, minuscule portions of anything you can think of which, when combined with yet some other ridiculous portions of something you would never have imagined, results in an experience like no other.

I recently found myself at this establishment rather late in the night and as I fixed to place my order I was informed that the kitchen was closed. Despondently, I threw back a few tequila shots and was ready to leave when the restaurant manager came out to say he would keep his kitchen staff on for a little longer so I could get what it was that I wanted.

Never have I been more enraptured by service in Nairobi. Looking at the extensive menu, it was all I could do not to start dribbling spit from the side of my mouth. I swiftly ordered a portion of garlic prawns, sautéed mushroom and chicken quesadillas. These all came beautifully presented in mismatched pieces of crockery accompanied by fresh rosemary bread which smelled divine!

The indoor dining area at Tapas Ceviche Bar has all the makings of an antiquated winery complete with massive displays, an island bar and dimly lit sitting spaces. Beyond that is a terrace which I didn’t dare venture into for fear of the biting cold. Luckily for me, the well trained team and muted flat tones of the wooden and brocade fixtures provided plenty of homely warmth so it felt like I was sitting in a beloved aunt’s dining room rather than a commercial space. Being a Spanish food business outfit, the presence of wine was not easily ignored and I took breaks between my food to walk around and study the display cases and literature on wine strewn around the place.

While it is true that I really detest having to eat in shopping malls, Tapas Ceviche Bar manages to stand apart from similar businesses in the same space by remaining understated and intima