Achola Rosario explores the ‘Urban Eatery’ this week

THE TASTE OF A GOOD BURGER GETS ACHOLA ROSARIO VENTURE INTO WESTLANDS

By Achola Rosario, Contributing Editor at www.ATCNews.org

(Posted 29th July 2021)

Delta Complex on Waiyaki way in Westlands Nairobi has always smacked of corporate glamour for me. Maybe because of its soaring glass and white concrete towers that house Jaguar, Oracle and PwC (The Artist formerly known as Price Waterhouse Coopers). Or because of a restaurant I have always passed while surreptitiously glancing at the patrons eating in the display window in envy. Either way, I wanted in on the action.

So, when Mr. Benu, the cute Events Manager told me they were having a party the next Saturday and I was welcome to come cover it, my excitement levels were barely contained. Saturday arrived and I was there in a flash, even though I was so tired from a long crap week that I was forced to pick my body up with Red Bull. It gave me wings and a springy step in my ripped jeans. Which is funny because I then met the Head of Marketing for Red Bull while having a cigarette in the gazebo outside, and of course yours truly could not help but pitch the poor woman, who was kind enough to look very interested. Fingers crossed. This is what you call ‘networking’, I told myself in order not to cringe with embarrassment at my gauche approach.

On my way back, I spot another celebrity, famous for a World Cup song that took the world by storm when Africa hosted the globe. But of-course goldfish me just recognized he was famous but had not connected the dots so I gratefully left him alone. He did let me touch his hair later on though, when the fires, food and cocktails had warmed our cockles. His entourage was scandalized. I scampered off to film hot women. But I get ahead of myself in the story. First, a restaurant review:

A lively location, all glass and plain wooden tables, planters, the Circles Bar and an open kitchen right in the middle, Urban Eatery lives up to its urbane name, providing a swish backdrop to ladies who lunch, a group of Euro-expats laughing out loudly, a traditionally dressed Somali couple looking loved up in the corner, and a bunch of trendy office workers sat in the display window facing the highway. They are the ones I always looked at from the street and it felt nice being the dog in the window this time. The music inside was “summer holiday” and other 80s renditions that were most at odds with the environment. I was expecting some trendy House music being piped into the dining area. But that was outside. More on that later.

I ordered a Caesar Salad and a Lime Chicken burger. The salad was fantastic, large and full of lettuce, rocket, avocado, chicken and a poached egg. I had to ask for extra dressing on the side, which they very kindly provided but the salt shaker and the lack of proper pepper did them in. For the kind of restaurant that they are, I would not have expected the kind of salt shakers you have to open and pour out the salt in your hand in frustration (after picking out the rice grains of course), and powdered white pepper. French grinders would suffice in this instance. And they are too big for people to walk off with, which is a bonus.

The Lime Chicken burger could have done with more lime. Seeing as that is its name, I feel they could have pushed the envelope further and made the flavors more intense. The chicken was breaded and half cut into strips, which tasted very nice but kept slipping from the bun because of how it was cut. It came drizzled with a sweet chili sauce and perhaps could have done with some mayo/yogurt/hummus as condiments to give it more “juice’. This could be an opportunity for Urban Eatery to make their mark with original and creative condiments and dispensers for their signature dishes. The bread for the bun was very good quality and topped with sesame. The fries were proper.

I had a decent glass of red with my meal, served in a full bowled long stem red-wine glass, but it was the cocktails where Urban Eatery distinguishes itself. Manager Benu is a professional mixologist trained in Canada and made me a cocktail that made my mouth go WOW!

A pair of fly high-heeled bootie shoes clad in Kitenge material led me outside to the party, where the alphabet was re-written and A stood for Afrohouse, on decks spun by Djs Ally Fresh of Santuri Sounds East Africa and Dj Suraj. A new genre of music that is sweeping the continent and acting as the perfect ambassador of our suaveness beyond, Afrohouse is redefining what it means to be a contemporary urban African in the eyes of the world.

So, it is quite fitting that you can find it here on most Saturdays.

Keep it locked.

To book a table at Urban Eatery:

Floor manager Austin: +254 724 755 037

Events manager Benu: +254 701 490 411

To watch the FOMO TRAVEL SHOW EP72 URBAN EATERY JIG:

Contact Achola Rosario via coalrosa@gmail.com if you are interested to have your location featured on the F.O.M.O. Travel Show and on www.ATCNews.org

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