It all began on the 26th January, when the fourth edition of Nairobi Restaurant Week 2017 officially kicked off. You started seeing them everywhere, right? The instagram posts, the snaps, the tweets. The food beautifully plated. Filtered to perfection through various apps. Everyone instantly turned into a food blogger or critic, experiencing an enticing menu courtesy of a variety of 60 plus restaurants.
A 2 course lunch or a 3 course dinner for the price of Ksh 950 and Ksh 1950 respectively, at an eatery you wouldn’t usually frequent without breaking the bank is what I call a bargain! Perfect for date night as well, which is how I ended up at Caramel Restuarant. With a date set for 8 pm, and rain coming down in bucketfuls, the offer from Little Ride was spot on; 500 bob off of your ride to any of the restaurants as long as you key in the promo code NRW2017. I was late, but dry when I got there!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BP4tMwKAB46/?taken-by=caramelgroupnairobi
Is it just me or are the wait staff at Caramel all part-time models? Seriously. Arriving at the door, I’m almost certain that Tyra Banks walked me to my table. Very politely inquiring about my evening and the weather. It was relatively busy that night, leaving me thankful for my date’s foresight in making a reservation earlier that week. The menu offers a choice of mushroom soup, Russian salad or a crab hand roll as a starter and a choice of fish, beef or pasta (vegetarian) as the main, topped off with a dessert platter.
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Accompanied by an Absolut Vodka passion cocktail (chuck the super tiny straws, they’re only there to confuse you) I had the soup, which could have used a little more seasoning. This was more than compensated for with the red snapper on a bed of spinach that followed. Pan seared perfectly, I thought, seasoned simply with salt and pepper, I was pleasantly surprised at how flavoursome the fish was.
I overheard at the next table one of the patrons remarked about the beef option, “It’s not tender for Tenderloin,” a sentiment shared by my companion, a chef, who was still quite happy with the meal. And the company.
Between conversations about food and wine, travel and spice, a very attentive wait staff ensured we were well catered to. When the dessert arrived, I was surprised at how fast time seemed to have flown. A platter of marble cake, a mini brûlée with a homemade strawberry and coffee ice-cream rounded off the meal.
A solid 3.8 stars for a great mains, beautiful plating, an attentive staff and a warm ambiance.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPz6RkzArfl/?taken-by=caramelgroupnairobi
Nairobi Restaurant week is on until 5th February so definitely go check it out!
