Where to unwind this weekend

I never recommend a man to any of my girlfriends. Over time, I have also found it wise to never recommend a restaurant either because something always goes wrong with the risotto. I always share my personal experiences though, and as someone who checks out a new restaurant every other week, if I return to a spot unprovoked, then it must be pretty good.

When a friend reached out wanting to relax and unwind this past Saturday after a hectic week, I knew just the place: Mezze On The Deck at Four Points By Sheraton Nairobi Hurlingham. This hotel is one of the few that was luckily able to stay open throughout the three-month lockdown period in Nairobi.

Mezze receives high scores from me for various reasons. First of all, it is a rooftop restaurant which means you can relax while checking out the city’s skyline. There’s an infinity pool which makes for some great pictures and since it was a lovely sunny afternoon, we had an excuse to wear sundresses.

The space is open and airy with a Mediterranean ambiance accented by plants and light blue seats. There is also an adjacent bar called Level 8 where one would ideally get cocktails, but given the current MoH restrictions on sale of alcohol, we kicked off our day with tropical juices complete with mint and grenadine syrup, and asked the waiter to keep them coming.

For starters we got beef samosas (Sh650) and bbq glazed chicken wings (Sh1,200) to share. Someone made a joke about how you should never hurt samosas by saying no because they have fillings inside, and dipped into the accompanying mint sauce, they were so good that I didn’t get around to trying the wings. More tropical juice was had and it sure would have been a lovely afternoon for a cocktail. A while later, I decided to order something from the all-day menu.

Options here include Kenyan classics, global cuisine- British fish and chips, Norwegian baked salmon, Mediterranean lamb chops and steaks, as well as desserts. I went for kuku wa kupaka (Sh 1600)—something about the pool and ambiance made me feel like I needed some coastal Swahili food.

Chicken in coconut sauce, served with the softest fluffiest chapati ever- surely the chef must have added some secret ingredient to this, but I forgot to ask him about it- and kachumbari. Like the cool kids say, “that food combo slapped man!” My mouth is watering just thinking about it. You can have an early dinner but the restaurant gets closed at 7pm because of the latest curfew. If you like, however, you can head there for a staycation and spend a night or two, then you can order room service. That’s the beauty of dining at a hotel vs going to a restaurant this August.