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Tender steak in the outdoors

Friday July 21 2017
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A meal served at the Steak Out restaurant. PHOTO | COURTESY OF STEAK OUT

By KARI MUTU

Located in Nairobi’s Lavington suburb is the Steak Out Restaurant. Right away, I was captivated by the lawns, tall trees and well-tended shrubbery around this double-storey restaurant, which was originally a family house.

“Many people want to sit outdoors even in the cold weather,” said proprietor Cheryl Barretto.

International travels over the years exposed her to many restaurants, but it took her a while to decide on the cuisine for her restaurant, which finally opened in 2015. A meal at an Argentinian steakhouse in Europe inspired her to choose her menu.

“I didn’t want to jump into something with too many other industry players,” said Barretto.

The one-page menu of the Steak Out has a wide selection of steak options including fillet steak, rump steak, rib-eye, T-bone and strip loin steak. The price range is Ksh 1,800 ($18) to Ksh2,350 ($23.5).

The restaurant has a small card on the side of the menu with photos describing the different doneness levels of steak. I like a little fat on the meat so I opted for a medium-cooked sirloin. My sirloin was lightly spiced on the surface, delicious, and was cooked to my liking.

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The Steak Out serves a 330gm serving of steak instead of the more common 250gm size, so their meals are quite filling. Customers choose their accompaniment of starch, vegetables and sauces such as rosemary gravy and star anise.

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The Steak Out restaurant has a large garden. PHOTO | COURTESY OF STEAK OUT

The restaurant currently serves fresh beef, although it is looking to introduce aged-beef. The plate garnishing is minimal.

For non-beef customers, entrée options include lamb leg steak, grilled chicken and Steak Out’s special marinated barbeque chicken. The fish dishes include whole tilapia with a fresh-herbs tapenade, and grilled red snapper with mushy peas. Char-grilled pork chops and the slow-cooked pork belly with crispy crackling are said to be popular dishes.

Vegetarian dishes

The vegetarian dishes are tagliatelle with courgettes, cannelloni, beans and pesto, a green tomato risotto, vegetarian curry and a vegetable lasagne.

For dessert, I had the warm chocolate fondant with melted chocolate in the middle. It tasted divine, although it could have done with a sprinkling of icing sugar for presentation. The grilled mango, banana and coconut sandwich sounds like something I would like to try on my next visit.

Wines

I had merlot wine with my steak. They offer wines from South Africa, Italy, Australia, California and New Zealand.

The various rooms of the house have been converted into elegant seating areas, including a private dining room for small groups.

The upper balcony lounge is a nice spot for evening drinks and light snacks of chicken wings, spare ribs or beef and pineapple skewers.

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The Steak Out restaurant. PHOTO | COURTESY OF STEAK OUT

Steak Out has a substantial drinks menu with beers, spirits, cocktails, mocktails and a few of their own creations.

As with the steaks, the drinks menu explains the different types of single malts, with descriptions such as full bodied, smoky, spicy and light floral.

Behind the restaurant is a busy road but the rumble of traffic is forgotten because of the natural beauty of the garden.

This is the sort of restaurant that would appeal to business people looking for an outdoor venue for lunch. On evenings and weekends, the ever-green setting is a great setting for families and couples. There is a children’s menu and plenty of garden space for children to play.

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