Jiko Restaurant , The Tribe– Village Market

RATINGS – Out of 5 stars

Food – 3 ½
Ambiance- 4
Service- 3 ½

 Occasion: Romantic Dinners; A group of adults of not more than 4 people; Sunday Brunch seems like the more family friendly option.

Budget: Ksh. 2000 per person

Personally I am a big fan of Village Market and I felt the need for fine dining to celebrate my fiance’s birthday, for that reason I chose Jiko. However prior to the date I checked out their extensive menu online and I called to make a reservation. Our initial plan was to do their famous Sunday Brunch but we had to change our plan as brunch clashed with another engagement.

When we arrived at Jiko everyone we met was very cordial and friendly staff from the guards to the staff at the concierge desk. I had made a reservation, so as soon as we got there they recognized us (because I said we would be coming with a baby) they ushered us to the table.

The ambiance was very calm and relaxed, and the décor was an elegant fusion of African and Contemporary styles. The dim lighting and light jazz also lent to this relaxed atmosphere. There were pool side chairs which would have been a great idea on a warm night or during Sunday Brunch.When we were ushered to our table our waitress for the day introduced herself and brought us the menu. She also brought us a chair for the baby, I am not sure if they had high chairs.

We ordered a joint starter of Tiger prawns stuffed with leeks, apple bread pudding and beef speck. I don’t remember seeing the beef speck but the tiger prawns were really good and left us wanting more, I expected the bread pudding to be moist and heavy but it was somewhat crispy and fresh which was a refreshing interpretation of what I know bread pudding to be.

For the main meal I ordered St. Louis pork ribs, house smoked, barbecue sauce and my partner ordered Grilled 8oz Rib-eye hand cut and aged for 21 days,new potatoes and asparagus. The St. Louis pork ribs were arranged on a massive pile and I was very happy with myself because I love pork. While the Rib-eye looked tiny in comparison and we hastily ordered more potatoes to compensate. As soon as I started eating the pork ribs they had a pleasant taste and they were well seasoned with honey. They weren't spiced enough to my liking but they passed as  a good dish. I was happy with my meal until I tasted the Rib eye. It was DELICIOUS! It looked tiny because there were no bones like my pork ribs but that 21 day aging transformed the steak to a tender smoky well seasoned and heavenly piece of meat. I remember instantly wishing I ordered the rib eye steak. I promised myself the next time I would go to Jiko I would order the rib eye steak.

For desert we ordered Tiramisu - espresso-soaked ladyfingers with mascarpone cream . You can never go wrong with Tiramisu and mascarpone, though the I found the espresso flavor a bit much, nonetheless it was a good desert. For drinks we had a milk shake and Fresh ginger with lemon and local honey.

At some point in the evening the waitress babysat our daughter and carried her around much to her delight. From the corner of my eye I saw all the staff pleasantly engaged her. The service throughout the night was prompt and friendly and I was very impressed at how smartly dressed the waiting staff was.

All in all it was a good fine dining experience and I look forward to trying out the famous Jiko Sunday Brunch.

Main Dining Area at Jiko Restaurant

http://www.tribe-hotel.com/jiko-restaurant.php