Secret Garden
At this garden getaway, you can’t eat food any fresher unless you grow it in your own backyard. The home-like feel of Secret Garden makes for an especially great lunchtime destination, offering up fine salads, soups and sandwiches, as well as a significant range of freshly-squeezed juices and smoothies. This place fills a gigantic gap in the market with locally-sourced produce straight from the proprietor’s own farm in Nakuru.

Recommended: Naisii Salad with artichokes, avocado and parmesan dressing is divine and filling.
14 Riverside, Riverside Drive, Nairobi +254(0)708.800.847/+254(0)708.800.848 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Mughals
Indian restaurants in Nairobi may be a dime a dozen, but Mughals focuses on North Indian grilles and barbeques. These dishes are prepared by using the region’s traditional clay oven, the tandoor. Accordingly, the restaurant’s menu offers up a delectable range of meat, fish and paneer grilles. It’s a lighter, healthier diversion from the typical cream and butter-laden mughlai curries that you’ll find in most restaurants of this ilk.

Recommended: Beef Mshkaki, Lamb Chops and Paneer Tikka downed with their salted Lassi.
Adam’s Arcade, Unit No. 16, Ngong Road, Nairobi +254(0)711.222.222, +254(0)734.328.88

Misono Japanese Restaurant
The long-awaited reopening of Misono will not disappoint. The restaurant is a light-filled, airy, modern take on Japanese fine dining. For all of Misono’s long-time fans, delectable dishes, fresh food and familiar favourites still hold court on the menu. What’s more, the amazing art of sushi is alive and well here. Plus, the gleaming stainless steel grills are still home to arguably the best teppanyaki on offer in Nairobi.

Recommended: Sushi, Sashimi and Prawn Tempura.
The Greenhouse, Ngong Road, Nairobi +254(0)722.530.204, +254(0)722.511.229, +254(0)733.911.111

O’Sinkirri
A relatively new addition to Nairobi’s fine dining scene, O’Sinkirri means fish in Maasai. And this sleek restaurant focuses exactly on what its name suggests—the bounty of the sea. The establishment’s strong suit is Norwegian salmon in all of its glory, from Salmon Sashimi with Wasabi, Soy Sauce and Ginger to Grilled Salmon with Sandefjord Sauce, a creamy dill concoction with lemon zest. The ambience is very Scandinavian, crisp and clean.

Recommended: Salmon, Salmon, Salmon
Ring Road Kilimani, off Lenana Road, Nairobi +254(0)708.087.047, +254(0)20.521.3310

Tucked in the serene upmarket neighbourhood of Westlands is a gem that offers continental cuisine in an equally enthralling ambiance. The furniture is a classic blend of woodwork and fabric that beautifully merges with enmeshed natural light seeping through the roof. Add an inviting combination of black, white and aubergine-hued artwork, an intimacy and cosiness rare for an outdoor restaurant is established. About Thyme (opened in 2005) boasts of leafy surroundings, which provide a backdrop for a tranquil retreat, good for sampling delicacies from their menu. Chef George Wamba’s popular orders include grills like pan-roasted prawns, spare ribs-pork and coconutbattered red snapper. With this, desserts like the sticky date pudding are favourites for the clientele. Add that to friendly staff and guess, it’s about time to come visiting.

Nelson Aseka is a lucky man. The golfer and ardent motorsport enthusiast has turned his passion for fine whiskey into a lucrative job. The globetrotting connoisseur is a Jameson brand ambassador. In 2008, Nelson and his two friends began looking for an alternative to beer. "Having sampled several spirits, we ended up with Jameson which was a perfect fit due to the fact that we had no hangovers or headaches the morning after, "he explains.

Nelson helped popularize the drink, going as far as compelling several pubs to stock the brand because the gang, dubbed “The Jameson Crew”, bought it by the bottle wherever they ended up. The Crew began to host unofficial Jameson parties, helping to grow a substantial fan base for the brand through various social media platforms.

That’s when Pernod Ricard, Jameson Whiskey owners, decided to make things official. In 2011, after an intensive Jameson Graduate Program training course, Nelson was appointed brand ambassador to the greater East Africa and Indian Ocean islands (Mauritius, Seychelles and Reunion). He is now the face of the brand in the aforementioned regions. Nelson adds, “I carry out whiskey tasting events and mentoring sessions to our target consumers and trade partners.

I help plan, strategize and initiate marketing opportunities as well represent the brand in high profile events in the region, both formal and social.” This has opened exciting new doors for Nelson. “I have made so many friends in all sorts of capacities, from heads of states to business moguls to celebrities. I am representing a whiskey that I really love!” he enthuses.

Being a whiskey aficionado, Nelson likes to taste different brands from time to time to understand the processes involved in producing these whiskeys that are great in their own right. However his favourite “poison” remains Jameson, especially the 18 Year Old, closely followed by the Select reserve. He says, “On a long hot day I’ll take a “The Perfect Serve” cocktail and when I’m out, I love Jameson on the rocks with a dash of water to open up the flavours.”

Three whole days of tasty beers, fantastic food, and great music. These are reasons enough to be at the third annual Oktoberfest, hosted this year at the Impala Grounds, Ngong Road, by Big Five Breweries/Brew Bistro and Lounge. It is that wonderful time of the year where we get to celebrate beer in all its glory, while acting like a more relaxed version of the people in the classic wine-tour movie Sideways.

To celebrate this great tradition, we are giving away free Oktoberfest Dollars that can be exchanged (if you collect five) for beer at the event. Cut out the dollar at the bottom of this page, and collect more at Brew Bistro and Lounge. The festival (adapted from Germany) will feature a tantalising line-up of over 30 local and international brews, collections of wines and spiritsm plus an array of culinary delights to whet your appetite.

Unlike the original German Oktoberfest, known for its traditional Schlager music, the bash at Impala Grounds is going to be packed with great music. The beer festival will kick off on Friday the 26th with the traditional keg-tapping ceremony by a dignitary from the German embassy, followed by local rock bands taking over the mantle to stage a ten-band battle for rock supremacy at Oktoberfest. Kidum, Nameless, Amani and Wyre, among others, will work up crowds in the Saturday act, followed by Electique DJs and The Beat Parade, plus DJ Protégé. Sunday will witness a jazz jam session, featuring Eric Wainaina, Harry Kimani, Dennis Gordon and Different Faces. Cheers!