Travel and Personal

A Culinary Delight - Kenya

By Dweep Chanana ⋅ January 25, 2006 ⋅  Email this post ⋅ Post a comment

Yesterday, after a long time planning, I finally made it to Tamarind - a seafood restaurant in downtown that came highly recommended. Now, it was my boss - an Italian with a good taste in food (he likes Indian) - that recommended it, so I had high expectations. At the same time, I had eaten some of the best seafood ever in Malindi, so I also had high standards.

The verdit? Tamarind lives up to its high reputation as the best seafood restaurant in town. The service and ambience were impeccable, with polite and very friendly waiters, soft piano music (don’t sit right next to it though), and a menu that sets your mouth watering. Deciding what to order - and what to skip - was perhaps the toughest part of the evening. Getting up after eating some very substantial portions came a close second though.

And how does this compare to Malindi? I haven’t tried everything on the menu, but next time I would much rather pay for a flight to Malindi. The food while good, cannot make me forget the fish on the coast. Besides, the quality comes at a price. At between US$ 50-100 for each of us four, this was the most expensive food I’ve eaten in Nairobi. And while I can easily recommend the place, you must remember to leave your budgetary considerations behind.

I haven’t written much about the food options in Nairobi. That is a pity, because the place is crawling with excellent food. It is cheaper, better, and more varied than almost any other place I have been to recently. Sure, Spain has better tapas, and Geneva has better crepes. Nairobi, however, has the best Indian food I have had - outside of India. It also has outstanding Italian food, as well as a healthy representation of Japanese, Lebanese, Chinese, and Brazilian. Westlands itself is reputed to be home to about 100 restaurants. No wonder I’m still discovering them.