Tucked away in Lavington’s Valley Arcade, Monikos Kitchen is a popular joint with a diner-meets-romantic-café vibe. Their tagline? Fresh. Healthy. Innovative.

I met my friend Tom for a late lunch, and sundowners followed. We had the greatest time catching up with lots of laughs, and you will want to watch the vlog!

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Ambience

We sat outside, and I liked the patio area with wooden seating configured around a little charming garden in the centre (with a fountain that didn’t work).

Did you know that water features attract people, and landscapers and architects often incorporate them in plans for this reason? I love random facts! I got told this by someone I know who trained as a landscape architect. I reckon it’s in Monikos management’s best interest to restore that fountain.

Come dusk, delightful little lanterns are put out which warms up the place. I hear there’s a winebar inside, which I wish I’d checked out.

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Service

We were served by Eric and Brian. Eric was new and would falter, but Brian would come in to help him out with utmost dignity. Good job to you both! They were friendly with big bright smiles, and Brian would check up on us quite often. Speed of service was good and I have no complaints at all.

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Food and Drinks

The mojito, which I ordered, was decent. I also had a Tom-Collins-type-drink whose name I can’t remember. They serve beers, spirits and wines, as well as non-alcoholic drinks like juices.

I ordered a burger, medium-rare. Damn! I should start taking notes when I eat out because I can never remember what I ordered. It was a really good burger. It was succulent, with generous salad toppings. I enjoyed the dips/sauces and the chips were crispy on the outside, and perfectly mushy on the inside.

Tom had chicken and mushroom pasta which tasted soooooooooooooo good (of course I had to taste it!) It was beautifully rich and drenched in a creamy white sauce.

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Menu

Their cocktails menu is disappointing, really. Mojito, Daiquiri, Cosmopolitan… the classics. Nothing exciting.

I wish I’d asked Tom what he thought of the wines list. He is a certified wine expert/sommelier and writes the blog Kenya Wines.

Food-wise, there was everything from tapas, to burgers, to paninis, wraps and sandwiches, to pasta. I don’t think they are tied to a certain cuisine, because they even had a Thai red curry on the menu. I would best label it as continental. I didn’t pay attention to the vegetarian options, and I should have, since I plan on going back vegetarian soon.

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More

Free WiFi provided, and they have a quiz night once a month.

PS: I’ve been meaning to say why I went back to meat. I’ve been having critically low haemoglobin and ferritin levels for over a year now. I thought it had to do with my vegetarian lifestyle, but after months on iron supplements and a meat diet with no significant improvement, I am convinced that it has more to do with my menstrual cycle than diet. So vegetarian we shall return!

Thanks for reading! 🙂