Although Nairobi is definitely a greener city than many others, it can sometimes feel like we are surrounded by concrete and construction, and personally this can be overwhelming at times! This is why I love going to restaurants like Zen Garden and the Arbor - the outdoorsy ambience serves to remind me that Nairobi is STILL more than your average concrete jungle.
I was super excited to learn that there's yet another restaurant I can add to my beautiful ambience list - Amani Ya Juu (or Amani Garden Cafe, not sure which is the correct name :) ). Amani ya Juu literally means 'peace from above', which I think is quite beautiful.
When a friend suggested meeting here for lunch one warm Saturday, I naturally jumped at the chance!
To drink, I ordered their iced tea, which was quite lovely and refreshing in this weather! Also, my new thing is iced tea, especially flavoured.
For mains, I ordered a cup of tomato soup and grown up grilled cheese (it had salami, pesto and mozzarella), which came with a small side salad, while my friend got the Serengeti salad (mixed green salad with apples, honey roasted Macadamia nuts and a choice of bleu or feta cheese) and Nairobi nachos (ugali chips with salsa, corn salsa and guac).
Surprisingly, my waitress came to me and told me that they didn't have the tomato soup, so she had replaced it with the carrot and cashew soup. I was a little confused as to why she didn't ask me what I wanted instead, but thankfully I didn't suffer.
It was delicious and quite soothing (and I was definitely in need of soothing)! Not a combination I've ordered before, but one that I would definitely get again - and the crackers were a lovely accompaniment too.
Surprisingly, my waitress came to me and told me that they didn't have the tomato soup, so she had replaced it with the carrot and cashew soup. I was a little confused as to why she didn't ask me what I wanted instead, but thankfully I didn't suffer.
It was delicious and quite soothing (and I was definitely in need of soothing)! Not a combination I've ordered before, but one that I would definitely get again - and the crackers were a lovely accompaniment too.
The sandwich was lovely and light - I thought it would be heavier than it really was, so that was nice. The flavours blended together well, although the pesto was a hint on the bitter side, leading to it coming through stronger than the salami or mozzarella. Who doesn't love a grilled cheese sandwich though??
The accompanying salad was also great - largely thanks to the delicious poppy seed dressing it came with that was light and tangy. Do they sell this by the bottle, perchance?
The nachos were good, although they were quite hard! I can imagine they would be difficult for very young or very old people to eat these.
The Serengeti salad, in addition to looking delicious, definitely lived up to its aesthetic! I think I may try that next time - doesn't it look absolutely amazing? It was also accompanied by the previously mentioned dressing.
The accompanying salad was also great - largely thanks to the delicious poppy seed dressing it came with that was light and tangy. Do they sell this by the bottle, perchance?
The nachos were good, although they were quite hard! I can imagine they would be difficult for very young or very old people to eat these.
The Serengeti salad, in addition to looking delicious, definitely lived up to its aesthetic! I think I may try that next time - doesn't it look absolutely amazing? It was also accompanied by the previously mentioned dressing.
For however lovely their ambience is, I think the cafe can definitely improve on its service which noticeably on the slower side. Thankfully, it was a lovely day and we were in no hurry at all, so we didn't get too upset about this.
What did you think? Are you keen on visiting this little green oasis? Let me know how you like it!
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