Serving the vegetarian palate
Who said meals with no meat are boring? This airport restaurant is a symphony of sensory stimulation in which design, service, food and ambience work together to provide guests with experiences that continue to delight long after the last dish has been cleared away.
Faith Kyoumukama @Martkinel
Lockdown or not, a foodie will still dine. Lets keep that in our positive minds. Weeks before the lockdown was effected, I had the opportunity to experience the new menu at a local hotel’s restaurant.
I had previously taken a staycation at this property, but I didn’t explore their menu, and this was the perfect chance.
Digvijay Singh, a chef at Four Points by Sheraton Nairobi Airport had an introduced an interesting twist to the menu.
I would like to call it a foodie play card, where the player had to pick a menu card without necessarily knowing what it entails.
A tricky game, which got people crossing fingers, but that’s what actually made it a fun experience. I chose a card with a vegetarian option, and it was the perfect choice.
I know foodies know me to be a meat lover, but there are days you just want to eat different foods.
The starter for the vegetarian option was mushroom soup served in a mini pot. The soup was creamy and delicious with tender bites of mushroom pieces.
The ingredients thyme, paprika and cream are subtle enough to shine through and complement the natural flavour of mushrooms without necessarily overpowering it. This with warm buttered whole bread was just a winning combo.
The main was kadhai paneer, which is a spicy stir fry of cottage cheese, bell peppers in onions and tomato masala served with an option of either steamed rice or chapati, the latter was my choice.
I love paneer, if I could, I would have it every day. I love the fact that it’s medium spicy, but not hot on the palette.
The bell peppers were also crunchy giving it that munch in every bite. Usually, my go-to would be to have it with nan, but chapati also turned out to be a good pair.
While others had chicken, steak and fish, I was enjoying my vegetarian option just as much.
After that meal, I wanted to sit quietly by the corner and let the food sink in, but there was dessert. 
One of my favourite things to have are the pastries. I was experiencing a food coma, but I wouldn’t say no to a cheesecake. It was a mango cheesecake served with raspberries.
Mangoes have a special place in my heart, but now, finding them in the market is a matter of luck.
Here is where they got me, two of my favourite things mango and cheese. This was a tart and creamy smoothness for me. I also loved the crunch biscuit bed it laid on because that overall taste is a joyous palette dance.
Other desserts on the menu were the tiramisu cake, granola and yoghurt and one that was a sweet tooth haven was the ‘Little Platter of Joy’, which was an ensemble of homemade pralines, macaroons, berries, wafers and marsh mellows with mango cheesecake and apple crumble.
Finally, there was no better way to down it all without the essence of intense orange flavour, which comes through with each sip of orange cocktail.
Now we might not be able to dine in at restaurants, but maybe a staycation will be the perfect plug.
