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Lunch with a view of national park

Friday October 20 2017
Food 1

The steakhouse serves signature steaks, meat cuts and fresh seafood cuisines. PHOTO | SUSAN MUUMBI | NATION

By SUSAN MUUMBI

Taking a break from the usual hurried lunch in the city centre, my colleague and I, accepted a friend’s invitation to the Eagles Steakhouse restaurant at Ole Sereni Hotel.

Navigating Nairobi’s traffic in the midday heat can be stressful, so we rolled up the windows and enjoyed the air conditioned interior of our chauffeured courtesy vehicle for the 10-kilometre ride from our central business district office to the hotel on Mombasa Road, right on the edge of the famous Nairobi National Park.

The restaurant is on the fourth floor of the hotel, overlooking the dusty plains of park. The steakhouse serves signature steaks, meat cuts and fresh seafood cuisines.

For my starter, I had the Caesar Salad, with the restaurant’s own dressing. The lettuce was crispy, and the croutons, chicken and bacon strips added a contrasting texture. The salad was delicious, and only just a little bit too salty for my taste.

food 3

Caesar salad. PHOTO | SUSAN MUUMBI | NATION

My colleague had the onion soup, which she said had just the right amount of caramelised onions.

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The carpaccio of Kenyan beef was declared a hit by my friend.

Eagles Steakhouse was originally open only for dinner, but due to its popularity is now to open for lunch. The express lunch caters mainly for the corporate market, and the food is served promptly.

Food 4

Breads and butters served alongside the main dishes. PHOTO | SUSAN MUUMBI | NATION

Since we wanted to sample as many main dishes as possible, we ordered different meals. My chicken breast was stuffed with spinach and feta cheese, and served on a bed of rice with strips of tomato sauce and pumpkin puree. The chicken was juicy and tender, and the meal was quite filling.

My colleague had the flame grilled rump steak, cooked medium rare. It was served with chunky chips, spinach, tomato and black pepper sauce.

Food 2

Flame-grilled rump steak, served with chunky chips. PHOTO | SUSAN MUUMBI | NATION

The serving was so large, she packed a third of her meal to eat later, and so our dessert, which was fruit salad, didn’t even make it to the table; we asked to take it away.

The ambience at the restaurant contributed greatly to the enjoyment of the food.

We sat on the open veranda overlooking the park. The park was still dry after a long drought — the rains started the following day — but there was a gazelle at the edge.
From our table, we could see clear across dozens of acres of savannah grassland. It felt like we were hundreds of kilometres away from the city, enjoying the fresh air, totally relaxed. Well worth the outing.

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