Cocktail Happy Hour at Artcaffe

Artcaffe Coffee & Bakery is one of the chic café-restaurants in Nairobi.  They serve coffee, pastries, food, and alcohol to boot. With this comes the Cocktail Happy Hour, which takes place daily between 4pm-7pm. During happy hour, all cocktails retail at half their normal price, so you can drink (responsibly) as much as you like.

Last Saturday I had another privilege to partake in this happy hour at the Oval. Artcaffe at the Oval is such a beautiful place. The amazing décor, space and the lovely ambiance make it an ideal place to hang out with your friends and loved ones, be it for coffee, wine, cocktails, lunch or dinner. Sitting area is both indoor and outdoor, with the latter consisting of a large patio with a distinct color scheme, as well as the cocktail bar area with high chairs where you can sit as you watch the sunset and traffic flow in Westlands. 

We selected a high table by the patio, but we had to change our seats a couple of times because the rays of setting sun weren't well shielded by the outdoor canopy.  We eventually found a suitable high table for two.

A charming waiter soon came by to take our orders, while also taking sufficient time to explain to us the nature of our orders. But there was some slight confusion in the manner in which our orders were handled due to the shift changeover at 1600 hrs. We got this lady waitress, who seemed slightly bemused at the start, but she turned out all right in the end. 

1700 hrs marked the beginning of the cocktail hour for us, and our once-bemused waitress came by with the drinks menu. Artcaffe have a variety of cocktails, and one is definitely spoiled for choice upon looking at that menu. Being a lover of mojitos, I settled for the Pineapple Mojito, which is infused with Skyy Vodka (pineapple flavor), fresh pineapple, lemon cubes, mint leaves, and soda water, all balanced to perfection. My date opted for Ginger Dawa Cocktail: Skyy vodka (ginger infusion), honey and fresh lemon. For my next round I ordered the Passion Caiproska cocktail, but I was rather disappointed to hear that they did not have passion fruits on this day. I opted for the Pineapple Mojito all through. My date then tried out their Flirtini cocktail: Skyy Vodka (Pineapple flavor), pineapple juice and sparkling wine. Not a bad combination after all.
On the whole, cocktail Happy Hour at Artcaffe provides a perfect place to enjoy a sun downer. Service was rather slow on this day, but not far from their usual best. The décor is lovely, except for some parts with emanating rays of the setting sun.

Bonus review:

If you are a lover of smoothies, this is another place to try. They have a variety of delicious, nutritious smoothies to choose from. If you care about the amount of calories you consume on the daily, you can always try their all-natural mix consisting of Beetroot, Papaya & Avocado. Else, you can opt for the Healthy Choice Smoothies-a perfect mix containing yogurt and real fruits.

Started off with these smoothies

then the cocktails: Pineapple Mojito

part  of the cocktails: Flirtini

“First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you.” 

― F. Scott Fitzgerald

Remember… Drink Responsibly; Don’t Drink and Drive! 

Ratings:

Drinks: 4/5     Service: 3.5/5     Ambience: 4/5     Value: 4/5

Crispy Chicken Quesadillas at Nairobi Java House

Java House is an ideal spot for brunch on Sunday. Other than serving breakfast the whole day, their menu is quite diverse, and many a time, you will find that you are spoilt for choice. Of late there's one meal that keeps me going back to Java: the crispy Chicken Quesadilla. Originating in Mexico, this meal consists of two flour Tortillas (flat pieces of bread) that are folded around a filling of meat, cheddar cheese, or other ingredients and usually grilled. Java then enhances it by serving it with Guacamole and Salsa.  You could substitute your filling with either Cheese or beef, but my favorite is the Chicken Quesadilla.

This is a delectable meal, with a decent amount of cheese and a hearty amount of chicken in every bite. If you're the kind that finds yourself perusing that menu severally thinking of what to order, why not try their Chicken Quesadilla? For KES 600, you are assured of value for your money, as it is very well filling. You also have an option of ordering for two Quesadillas.

Chicken Quesadilla served with Guacamole and Salsa

Happy Eating!!…

Ratings:

Food: 4/5     Service: 4/5     Value: 4/5

Spice up your lazy weekends with Debonairs Pizza

Sunday always happens to be a chilled out day for me; one of those days when eating home food is not as appealing as it usually is on other days. So most of the time, I always end up eating out. However, this past weekend ,with the sudden drop in temperatures, staying indoors was the only viable option for me. I decided to order the Chicken Triple-Decker pizza from Debonairs. Debonairs Pizza actually has a call center ... I was rather impressed by their promptness in picking up my call. The lady, Charity assured me that my order would take 1 hour-1:15 hours at most. True to their word, I received my order within the prescribed time frame.

Chicken Triple-Decker pizza, consists of THREE layers, each with cheese(cream, cheddar & mozzarella), chicken, mushroom, onion, sweet bell pepper, tomato & herb pizza sauce, topped with Sweet Chili sauce, with a sprinkle of parsley. With all these ingredients on each layer, one is assured of being fully sated. Personally, I couldn't eat any more after my 2^nd Triple-Decker slice. To say the least, for only 1200 for the large size, this pizza is heavenly, a great value for money and a must try for everyone out there, especially when you having one of those lazy Sunday afternoons. You don’t have to worry about having cash on you, as you can always “Lipa na M-pesa”. 

We all do make healthy choices most of the time, but once in a while it’s allowed to loosen the reigns with some calorific indulgence. Why not try the Chicken Triple-Decker pizza? You can still make your orders by calling their contact them on: 0708 PIZZAS (749927)

Happy Eating!!…

Ratings:

Food: 4/5          Service: 3.5/5          Value: 4/5