Nairobi News

The second restaurant I visited during the Nairobi Restaurant Week was Thai Chi at the Stanley. I have heard sterling recommendations about the place, the food and the service. So the first chance I got, I moseyed on down to check it out.

When we got there, the restaurant wasn’t open yet – unbeknown to us (which we should have checked before we got there, it opens from 7pm. We sat at the bar on the side of the restaurant to wait – we were half an hour early.

Then, I saw a little sign that read: No jeans or informal wear allowed. I was wearing bright red jeans and I quickly began to panic about my night being ruined.

When the restaurant opened, I walked in with my bag over my jeans hoping that no one would notice – and hurrah, no one did. Maybe it was the blazer I was wearing. I’d like to think so.

The hostess greeted us in what I assumed was Thai, which was a nice touch. We were led to our table and given the menu.

Splendid

The décor is splendidly oriental; it feels authentically Thai, and has interesting wall hangings and cutlery to complement this feel. The service was excellent.

Our waiter was conscientious and polite (though we were served by a different waiter when ours was busy, and he was also very good), and promptly delivered the necessary; as soon as we sat down, water was offered (presumably to relieve us from our wait, ha).

What was also interesting was the fact that we could take our drinks from the bar into the restaurant when we moved. I ordered from the vegetarian menu, and my companions had the chicken spread.

This consisted of a vegetable soup, a vegetable stir fry with rice and fried ice cream for dessert, which was common for both the chicken and vegetarian menus. This was being offered at Sh1,750.

Appetite

The aroma in the restaurant whet one’s appetite delicately, and the food that was placed before us (10 minutes after we ordered – great, because we were quite hungry) smelled wonderful.

The vegetable soup was tangy and subtle, and the chicken, though a little bit spicier, was also enjoyable.

The rice and vegetable mix was tasty.But I felt like the food wasn’t at the level of what Thai Chi usually offers.

I glanced at the menu that wasn’t for restaurant week and a main course was close to the cost of the entire Nairobi Restaurant Week menu; starters average at Sh800.

I was wondering if maybe that was why the food wasn’t fantastic, because to be honest, I was expecting fantastic.

The fried ice cream wasn’t really my thing. I ended up digging out the ice cream inside and leaving the doughy-like covering alone.

Note that the prices at the Stanley are exclusive of 28 per cent taxes.  I will be back  for the real Thai Chi experience – and this time, I won’t wear jeans.