Who knew that there was a Radisson Blu in Nairobi? Not this girl!
My second night at Nairobi Restaurant Week (read about my first here) took me to Larder Restaurant and Terrace at the Radisson Blu, Nairobi. It was for a girls night out and I enjoyed every bit! Let’s get down and dirty, shall we?

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Ambience and Décor: The interior design displays fine and exquisite taste, although I wouldn’t expect any less from a Radisson Blu hotel. Attention has been paid to detail in every aspect and the terrace is beautifully lit.

The only down side is that the terrace overlooks nothing. Well, there is a lawn, but in the dark, there really isn’t a view. I reckon it would be nice if it overlooked a nicely lit pool. But those are details.

Menu: This was a 5 course menu. I wish I’d taken notes of the menu, but it had an amuse bouche, starter, mesmerize, main and dessert. I’m not sure what kind of cuisine Larder specializes in, but they seemed to have a good mix in there. Likely continental/ Western, multi-cuisine, I don’t know.

Food: The presentation was great! 🙂 I really have no complaints!

i) My favourite piece of the amuse bouche ensemble was the slice of duck with teriyaki glaze sprouts. I loved the tangy pickled sprouts and I think teriyaki glaze provided a nice sweet contrast.

ii) My cream of pumpkin soup was lovely, but the coconut milk essence was too mild for my liking. Also, I would have liked more shrimp! Haha.

iii) My salmon was perfectly seared and the infusion of lemon complemented it. LOVED IT.

iv) The mesmerize was… well, mesmerizing! To my taste buds at least. Who knew Amarula and Kenyan chai would blend so beautifully.

v) I would say the most interesting course was the dessert. Its flavours: sesame seeds, coffee mousse and passion fruit, were so heavily layered, that my taste buds were confused. But by the time I was done, I realized that I just had a party in my mouth. Everything came together so beautifully in the end; sort of like a final cadence in an orchestral performance.

Drinks: They have an elaborate wines list and drinks menu. Chilean, South African, Italian, even Kenyan wines are on there! There’s a variety of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks; something for everyone.

Service: The service was good. Our waiter, Davis, had a sense of humour; always welcome! When one of my girls came in later than the rest of us, Davis rushed her food so that she could catch up with us. (We were on the second course when she arrived). He brought the courses one after another, well spaced out. Although we had to ask him to delay dessert because we were way too stuffed!

The manager (I think) also came around once to check up on us.

Final thoughts:

• I’m honestly not sure why Larder doesn’t have the greatest reviews on the Eat Out Kenya site. I really loved it. Literally no complaints.
• I don’t think it is particularly family-friendly, but that’s alright for me. Hehe.
• I think it is more on the fine-dining end of the spectrum than casual dining; but not too extreme.
• I also don’t think I could afford Larder in my current financial state. I am a graduate that hasn’t started working and am currently 100% a dependent. Therefore, we thank the heavens for Nairobi Restaurant Week!

Would I run back to Larder? YES! Once I’m on a payroll.

Thanks for reading friends! 🙂