After a saturday morning and early afternoon at the Nairobi national park, 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 not been there since early 2006. Plus I was really curious to see how the food there had evolved and also because every time I was at the junction Mediterraneo always seemed packed. So the masses must have been on to a good thing.
I arrived at Mediterraneo and was sitted promptly, received the menus & the waitperson took drink orders. Two food menus were presented, one for the specials and the other being the regular menu. The regular menu was large in fact I think too large, to put it in numbers 4 soups, 7 salads, 15 starters, 20 pastas, 20 mains, 20 pizzas & 14 desserts. The brigade working the kitchen really have their work cut out for them. Some of you may think choice is good, but in my none-expert opinion too much choice chokes me(you). The specials menu at Mediterraneo changes every month, in my none-expert opinion they should ditch the regular menu & stick to the specials menu, if only just to make it easier for me(you) to choose.
Drinks were served along with a selection of bread, that came with extra virgin olive oil & balsamic vinegar. The bread selection was great, the basket had white bread, whole meal bread, focaccia & bread sticks. The focaccia was amazing, the baker must love his olive oil, the focaccia was really rich & tender. I learnt from the waitperson, the focaccia is baked at the restaurant while the rest of the bread was from Nakumatt next door.
First up was a starter from the specials menu. Nuggets of Brie & Camembert with Cranberry Sauce. The sesame crusted nuggets were filled lovely molten cheese. The cranberry sauce paired well with the cheese. A great way to start the meal.
Next up from the specials menu too. Roast Duck Breast, Braised Red Cabbage and Mango Cinnamon & Grappa Sauce. This was a really easy choice for me, I had not had duck in 4 months plus the combination of duck, red cabbage & a fruity wine sauce seemed like a winner. It was not, this dish was not executed well. It was rushed, the bay leaf left on the plate was a clue to this.
From the regular menu. Veal escalopes with mushroom & mint. This was alright. The veal & the mushrooms worked well together, the little pastry cup with the veggies was cute.
The chef here loves to use fresh herbs as garnish, I was really tempted to grab a napkin to wrap and take home the fresh herbs. Why waste good rosemary, lemon thyme & tarragon. I should have asked the waitperson where they source their lemon thyme, my local veggie shop & supermarket only have the regular one.
Despite the duck I still think I’ll head back to Mediterraneo to try their porcini/cepe risotto & for more of the amazing focaccia. Also have to say the service at Mediterraneo was great & quite attentive. The waitperson at my table was a great bloke.
by Tamtam
19 May 2009 at 15:20
This is good to know. I was put off from Mediterraneo,as I had been to their branch in Westlands, and had the worst pasta in my life. So maybe I will take the risk with the Westlands branch.
by Kaasa
19 May 2009 at 19:21
Great!
I used to love Mediterraneo (Westlands) and know Stefano well because he and my mom are good buddies.
Though I enjoyed all pesto dishes when he first opened up, whenever I have eaten there since then, the food hasn’t been too good and the staff have been horrific.
Once, I was in there with a mzungu acquaintance and was treated very terribly by the African staff who guessed wrong about my ‘profession’…
Anyway,
In your first picture, I was wondering what that was under the duck. The cabbage looks super-overdone.
And the veal looks very rich, almost like they used a very buttery darker roux…
Did you ask for the chips, or is that standard with the two orders?
And the plating…, rustic
The duck looks good though, and the cranberry sauce looks nice and tasty.
by Kaasa
19 May 2009 at 19:23
Sorry, meant to say cabbage in the second photo.
by porkygourmand
19 May 2009 at 19:37
@Tamtam Tell us how you go at westlands.
@Kaasa The duck was botched big time IMO. Fat under duck breast skin was not rendered off. About the sauces, i am not a fan of roux based sauces, their are lots of purer starch alternatives available now. I asked for the chips, the other alternative was mashed potatoes. Yep the plating is rustic……. Pole about the drama with the staff, Kenya has vitukos.
by Kaasa
19 May 2009 at 19:57
About Chips…
These chips above look like the ‘bagged’ processed chips from the Eldoville Farm (the guys who do yogurt).
That’s all well and good… for fast food type joints and I think more and more ‘higher end’ Nairobi establishments are copping out by going the processed chips route.
You did an egg and chips post a while ago, and your chips in that post look like they could have elevated both these Mediterraneo dishes. The chips in this picture look very flat.
Peace!
by porkygourmand
19 May 2009 at 20:27
@Kaasa They seemed & tasted like processed chips. The chef @Mediterraneo went down the cheap & expedient way……
by Rafiki
21 May 2009 at 23:53
Thanks for the review. Let me link to it in my overview of Nairobi places with outdoor spaces: http://rafiki-kenya.blogspot.com/2009/05/avoid-nairobbery-enjoy-green-city-in.html
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by Crazy About Lemon Thyme | The Porky Gourmand
27 Jul 2009 at 16:50
[...] at the supermarket looking for the other thyme. My last encounter with the herb in Nairobi was at Mediterraneo, the roast duck dish I ate then had a fresh herb garnish that included lemon thyme. I seriously [...]