Fashion and Style

Happy new year, everyone! It's been a while, so I thought to break tradition and post on a Tuesday this time - I'm sure you're in need of new restaurant recommendations, right? Located in Kenrail towers, the Mayura  is an Indian restaurant that you may not have been to yet. I'd heard about it, but never been, so when I was invited to do a review, I naturally jumped at the chance. Located in Kenrail Towers, the ambience of the Mayura has peacock-themed, warm interiors. There's a lot of space to sit down, both inside and outside. The restaurant is the brainchild of Rajiv Segal, who has a corporate background and being from Delhi, had a high standard of quality and had developed a distinctive palate, which he wanted to bring to the people in Nairobi. The menu was chosen for us by Rajiv (and boy, did we eat a lot!). For starters, we had some paneer tikka, mutton chops, fish amritsari and banu kebab (chicken). The paneer tikka was absolutely amazing! The paneer was fresh...

I've heard a lot of great things about CJ's Restaurant , in the CBD, but unfortunately hadn't had an opportunity to go there until very recently (who goes to the CBD for fun, right?), when I was in town for a few meetings over a few days - and managed to go a few different times for lunch! CJ's is also that kind of place that has an amazing website  - warning, their online menu has tantalising pictures! - so they'd kind of already endeared themselves to me before I went. Two things I love about CJ's - despite being bang in the middle of Nairobi's CBD, they have a lovely, open ambience that's helped by the glass roof that lets in lots of natural light, and they have very friendly, attentive staff members. I wouldn't call myself a regular (just yet) but I've already discovered my CJ's drink of choice - their peach iced tea. There's an option of getting this with some ginger juice (Kenyans loveeee ginger), but I prefer it without. This peach...

Sunday brunch is a sacred ritual to partake in - and what better place to indulge than a place reputed to have amazing coffees, waffles and crepes (both sweet and savoury), as well as granola bowls and vegan crepes? A few Sundays ago, I decided to check out Afta Eats with a friend for her birthday. I love the light, open look and feel of the new wing at Village Market - part of it is almost food market-esque! On this particular Sunday, Afta Eats wasn't that busy - surprising given all that I've heard about it, and that it was 11 am. They had a great, energetic playlist on, definitely something designed to get you up and about. The only thing that could've improved the vibe of the place, in my opinion, would've been mimosas but - alas! - we managed to do without. The Afta Eats tables are definitely cute, with little infographics on various drinks in them. Their menus could use some upscaling though - they don't live up to the aesthetic of Afta Eats. To drink, I got ...

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 mozzarell...

Lucca , at the Villa Rosa Kempinski, Nairobi, is an Italian restaurant I'd long been meaning to check out, but never quite got around to. Naturally, when the opportunity came to go, I jumped at it! I've heard a lot of good things, so I was eager to check it out. Friday night dinnertime found a friend and I at Lucca. I'd checked out their menu  in advance, but of course, hadn't quite yet decided what I wanted.  The ambience was warm and welcoming - think of a nicer deli vibe, which was comforting, especially considering this was still during Nairobi winter. The reception was also warm and welcoming - I was led to my well laid out table by a smiling server. Their mixologist's creations looked very interesting! (However, I would recommend a quick spellcheck before they next print out their menu). We opted for the Remy old fashion, and the Professor gin and tonic. Professor gin and tonic Remy old fashion Both were amazing and refreshing, and I'll definitely be going...

If anyone asks me to recommend the best Indian restaurant in Nairobi, I'll definitely say Haandi . Hopefully this doesn't come as too much of a surprise to you, but if it does, or if you disagree, you're very welcome to change my mind! I'm always open to new experiences. I don't go to the actual restaurant as often as I would like. Their ambience is lovely, but the location itself isn't too exciting. It was a Sunday family lunch, and we were celebrating my parents' 39th anniversary (woo!), so you can imagine that we ordered quite a bit ;) In the interest of being true to what I write, I'll only cover the dishes that I personally tried out of those we ordered. Before we begin - a huge kudos to Haandi for their service. We got great service and attention from our server as well as the manager on duty. The manager made sure to understand why we were there, gave us some lovely recommendations, and also helped us proactively adjust the portions we needed when...

It's been a while since I'd been to Soi , a Thai restaurant at Dusit, so I definitely wasn't going to refuse this as a lunch location a few weeks ago! The location is definitely convenient (for me, in this case ;) ), and I'm a fan of their ambience which may trick you into believing you're not in Nairobi. To drink, I chose the Soi eleven sling - Longon gin shaken with fresh pineapple, lemon and sweet Thai basil, and soaked in tropical bitters and lemon soda. While I did enjoy this - it was refreshing and not too heavy for (what was supposed to be) a light Saturday lunch, I do think the aesthetic could've been improved. The plastic straw didn't do much for me (or the environment, I presume). Soi eleven sling To start off, we ordered the Peek gai thod kha-min (deep fried chicken wings marinated with turmeric, fish sauce and garlic, served with Thai BBQ sauce). I really enjoyed these! They were amazing and flavourful, and the garlic came through perfectly. They...