Modern, elegant and full of charm – my first impressions of The Concord Hotel close to the Diamond Plaza – and my first choice for my very late start to #PizzaFest16 – an annual celebration of one of the Nairobi’s favourite food options!
The Concorde is nestled in the heart of Parklands – along Wangapala Road, within walking distance of Highridge Secondary School. And it fits into my idea of what a lux hotel should look like in 2016. Cool colours, highly structural – yet warm. I was there to meet with Levy Tolbert – marketing coordinator at The Concord as well as my guide and lunch date!
The most immediate thing that struck me? Absolutely everyone I met had such a friendly, positive demeanor. They seemed so eager to make me feel at home – none of the aggressiveness that can sometimes show face in the hospitality sector in Kenya.
Rooms at the hotel are larger than you would usually find – the executive, deluxe and penthouse suite all felt like mini apartments; all bright and fresh with contemporary twists of colour to offset pale walls.
Unusually, the hotel also has an entire ‘female only’ floor that can be booked by groups or individuals by special request with no added charges. Just another way in which The Concord has tried to set itself apart from the rest.
It was just a whistle-stop tour of the building – I didn’t spend the night.
My real mission (as always) was the food. Show me a new restaurant and I want to be first in line to try it out. The Concord has three: Curry Flavors (South Asian), Umami (Eastern Asian – Chinese, Japanese) and Bonhomie, that offers a more cosmopolitan menu. Their Pizza Fest menu will live beyond this week so even if you don’t get a chance to try it out by Sunday, definitely head out to Parklands for a really inspired selection of pies. My choice? Pizza Umami – a green Thai curry influenced pizza that had me buzzing.
Delish!
Spicy yet subtle, it felt like Bangkok meets Milan in a way that really had me engaged. The choices on the menu were so unusual, which was a nice change. Levy decided to go for a dessert pizza – a sumptuous looking mess of a pastry feast full of molten chocolate, brownie crumbles and ice cream. My diet protested, so that’s definitely something to try out next time. Other standout options included the Pizza Mare E Monti with marinated prawns in a starring role and the Pizza Con Vedure Miste with sun dried tomato, courgette and smoked mozzarella.
I like new brands that are trying to switch things up and do something different. The Concord hasn’t even fully launched yet, but I look forward to sampling some of Its other offerings in the future. I will definitely be back!
Follow @TheConcordHotel on Twitter!
Images: Concord
