On a random saturday afternoon drove myself to Sierra on mombasa road next to Panari hotel. The brewery is in a massive warehouse, the brasserie & lounge are set in the front corner. The decor is really great, minimalist & understated. In one corner is a glass wall through which you can see all the brewing gizmos. Great beer geek porn. It was very quiet when I got in, only eight other customers present then it was 4pm, Kenyans probably show up at more fashionable hours.
All those shiny vats containing liquid gold, I would love a tour of the brew operation. I should call & ask sometime or if Sierra brewmaster is reading this, how about a tour?
Porter to wet my throat as I browse the menu. The menu is not to big which is good, too much choice is bad for the diner & hell for the chef. The chef presents a pretty global menu, though Thai seems to be his biggest influence. Cuisines represented Moroccan, Spanish, Cypriot, Chinese, Malaysian, British & French. Almost all the desserts are classic French. Nothing Kenyan per se, but what is kenyan cuisine anyway? Kaasa asked this question a while back on her blog
I was not really hungry, so I had two starters & a dessert.
The twice-cooked pork belly with caramel tamarind sauce was beautifully presented & flavourful, if it were less sweeter or more spicier it would be perfect. The potato puree was heavenly, I wanted more.
The spanish influenced potato, bacon & brie croquettas was cooked to perfection & presented beautifully. Loved the garnish not 100% sure what it was, think it was pickled red capsicum, grated parma cheese & some mint oil(you can’t see it in picture). Should have asked the chef.
My dessert was a trio of chocolate desserts. A dark chocolate cake which I totally loved. The mocha ice cream which is bought in, was ok. The white chocolate cheese cake with a fruit coulis(can’t remember what it was) was great.
After my meal, I got to thank chef Eric personally for his great food. He trained at Utalii college and has years of experience working around Kenya & overseas.
I really loved the experience at Sierra, I’m definately heading back there with all my mates for dinner & beers. You should head over there too.
by Kaasa
31 Mar 2009 at 02:51
Nice! Though the portions look a bit too large for me, and I don’t eat pork.
The restaurant looks good too and I’ll try to check it out when I’m in Nairobi this summer. I just checked their menu online and it’s so eclectic!
Hasta luego!
by makanga
01 Apr 2009 at 02:18
A kenyan microbrew alone sounds yum
by Chebz
01 Apr 2009 at 12:42
Beautiful…. Yani we must go to Sierra soonest…
by porkygourmand
01 Apr 2009 at 13:48
@Kaasa Pork is the most noble of meats.
@Makanga Kenyan microbrew is awesome.
@Chebz Twende soonest.
by Lorraine @NotQuiteNigella
01 Apr 2009 at 14:21
The little piggy in that picture above is adorable! Although it feels odd to then say that the pork belly dish looks particularly good lol. Lovely photos, it feels like they are right in front of me!
by Kaasa
04 Apr 2009 at 01:14
Just checked the Sierra menu again and was surprised at the lack of wines, which seemed quite odd. Nothing local, nothing South African… I wonder why?
Also, the vodka/gin offerings seemed a bit spartan… Maybe they should add some Bombay Sapphire and other good stuff like that… I was wondering how they’d make a killer vodka martini with their vodka/vermouth selections?
Then again, maybe people go there mostly for the beer.
But I must say it’s nice to see no Tusker on the list!
by porkygourmand
08 Apr 2009 at 20:51
@Kaasa They actually had some sort of “wine cellar” happening. A see through glass shelf with air-conditioning, i’ve got pictures of it if you wanna see. Didn’t pay attention to what is on offer, I was there for their great beer. I asked about a waitress about why they had wines, she mentioned some diners prefer wine. Lol! Tusker at this place would be an abomination.
by Kaasa
17 Apr 2009 at 05:45
Hi porkygourmand,
Yes, I’d love to see the pics!
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by Mediterraneo at the Junction Nairobi | The Porky Gourmand
19 May 2009 at 04:38
[...] it was time to fuel up with some food. Leaving Langata I had two choices, I could head down to Sierra on mombasa road or Mediterraneo at the Junction. I Decided to head to Mediterraneo because I had [...]
by Kelly McElroy
03 Jun 2009 at 23:44
I enjoyed both the beer and wine along with a wonderful dinner last night at Sierra. Coming from the brewing world, I would have loved to have a tour!
by Cyprus Girl
17 Mar 2010 at 16:06
I like this post. Thanks!