Mixed plate of experience
Our food arrived promptly. The portions were large and they used fresh ingredients. PHOTO| BON VIVANT
What you need to know:
It featured a huge selection but it appears most of the dishes were not ready since we had come for an early lunch.
The healthy vegetable juices and milk shakes on the menu were also not available at the time.
The menu listed soups, crepes, biryani, pizza, salads, quiche, cappuccino cake and even wedding and anniversary cakes.
The Karen Crossroads shopping mall in Karen boasts three supermarkets. As such, it has a constant stream of shoppers.
Behind the mall is a small, unassuming restaurant that has been there for as long as I can remember. It is unpretentious and generally serves African food and your usual chips, mandazis, tea and pies.
We sat at a table and a lady ambled over and wiped it for us. Beside us at another table, some older individuals seemed to be having some sort of chama meeting.
Our young waitress immediately asked us what we would like to eat. After inquiring what was ready, we decided to have a steak with rice and vegetables, and beef stew with mukimo.
Once we had finished placing our order, they actually brought us a menu.
MOST DISHES NOT READY
It featured a huge selection but it appears most of the dishes were not ready since we had come for an early lunch.
The healthy vegetable juices and milk shakes on the menu were also not available at the time.
The menu listed soups, crepes, biryani, pizza, salads, quiche, cappuccino cake and even wedding and anniversary cakes.
The waitress had strongly recommended we try the barbecued chicken. However, we had seen it on the faintly smoldering grill outside the restaurant facing the dusty car park.
We decided it would be a better idea to get something piping hot from the kitchen.
PLEASANT AMBIENCE
The ambiance is pleasant enough – high ceiling, traditional yellow and red restaurant colours and light coming in from the front entrance. Some pictures adorned the wall and a religious television show played on their screen.
We interacted with three employees in total – two were polite, and one was having a terrible day.
The toilets are behind the restaurant, through a courtyard and across. It seemed a long schlep so I just washed my hands at the table.
Our food arrived promptly. The portions were large and they used fresh ingredients.
My beef stew was a bit chewy but quite palatable, and they brought an extra bowl of plain stew for the bright green mukimo.
The vegetables were done to perfection. My friend enjoyed his meal, although the steak was decidedly tough.
The sirloin steak with its accompaniments went for Sh350. Our bill, drinks included, came to about Sh1, 000.
The service, hygiene and ambiance were average but we enjoyed our meal and considering the location, it was good value for money.
