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.