An absolutely divine experience

It has been a few weeks since the conclusion of Nairobi Restaurant Week 2015. Undoubtedly, this citywide promotion created a lot of buzz and excitement among gourmands and aspiring foodies.

I will wrap up the NRW reporting with a review of one of the few stellar performers. Some of the others who threw in their cheapest food should take note.

Three of us made dinner reservations at the Crowne Plaza after reading that they had extended their NRW offer for another week.

The hostess showed us to the restaurant upstairs. A waiter seated us and brought out the NRW menus. They had several choices for non-vegetarian and vegetarian, while most other participating restaurants had only two or three offerings.

One five-star hotel offered only fish for non-vegetarian and potatoes for vegetarian. The chef at Crowne Plaza was clearly out to impress.

Excellent presentation

For our starter we ordered the roasted pumpkin soup and the Thai chicken coconut soup. The presentation was excellent and the soup came in huge bowls.

My chicken soup balanced rich spicy flavours with creamy coconut. It was just a tad too salty. Still, it whetted my appetite for the next course.

For our mains we ordered the sweet potato and arrow root main for the vegetarian among us, as well as the mustard-encrusted pork and steak.

The portion sizes were good, although the food was so delicious, I wished they were larger.

The pork was tender and juicy, and well contrasted with the crackling texture and crunch of the mustard seeds. They were served with a side of fresh broccoli and carrots.

My steak was a little chewy but it was well-presented and tasty.  Our vegetarian counterpart wolfed down his sweet potato and arrowroot main, of which I had a little taste.

It could have benefitted from some kind of sauce, but it was a well-executed unique dish.

For dessert we had the tree tomato cheesecake and a vanilla sponge cake. The cheese cake was appropriately light and airy.

It balanced the tartness of the tree-tomato with the sweetness of the baked cheesecake and the crumbly biscuit crust. The vanilla sponge was a coup. It is an incredibly simple dish, which might raise eyebrows; however they presented a version that was as fluffy as clouds. Top marks for this dessert.

A special mention goes to their passion fruit dawa complimentary cocktail. These were absolutely divine.

Our meal came to Sh2, 000 per person. Glancing through the regular menu, I noted that their prices are actually quite reasonable when you compare with competing establishments.

On a normal day a soup would cost you slightly over Sh500. Main meals range from Sh800 to over Sh2, 000, and desserts are under Sh1, 000. I would rate them as good value for money.