Courtesy: Tin Roof Café Facebook
Tucked in between the busy Karen Roundabout and the shiny new Hub Karen mall is The Souk, a low-key retail space surrounded by beautiful, natural scenery. It hosts among other things an art gallery, a boutique shop, and the Tin Roof Café, which is where I had a lunch date with some of Nairobi's top food writers.Coldplay's buttery hit song Yellow was playing softly in the background as I walked in. You can get a good idea of a restaurant by the music they play. Like that song, Tin Roof Café has a slow-mo, romantic aura wafting through it. I was led to the café's outdoor dining area to meet my company for the afternoon, along with our gracious host Sharon who publishes Kenya's first and only book of buy-one-get-one-free (BOGOF) vouchers, DisCoucher.
At Tin Roof Café, you will quickly feel at home. That is definitely helped by their menu which serves up fresh, organic, homemade dishes.
Left: Wilted spinach with sun dried tomatoes. Right: Quinoa and Goji berry tabbouleh salad with honey and lemon dressing
On the table were five superfood salads (which I learnt means they contain ingredients with great health benefits). My dietary relationship with salads is virtually non-existent, so I tried the pearl barley with apple, celery, chili and cashew nuts first - mainly because it had the most things I could recognize (and pronounce). It wasn't half bad.
The more accustomed salad eaters among us sang the praises of the salads' farm-to-table freshness and the exciting recipes employed to put them together. The biggest hit was the wilted spinach with sun dried tomatoes and roasted aubergines in tahini dressing.
Left: Soysambu steak, onion and rocket ciabatta. Right: Spicy veg melt
For the main course, I had the Soysambu steak, onion and rocket ciabatta. It's a good choice if you're looking for a sizzle. The meat is perfectly tender and the bread is baked to a nice crisp. For veggie options, you cannot go wrong with their feta and corriander crepe, the spicy veg melt or the mushroom quiche.
The gluten free brownie with salted caramel ice cream is a perfect dessert to finish off the meal. And if you're still hanging about, why not try the café's own blend of freshly ground, hand-roasted Kenyan coffee.
Left: The gluten free brownie with salted caramel ice cream. Right: Tin Roof Café coffee
Tin Roof Café is well worth a visit whenever you're in Karen. The outdoor setting with its comfy wooden picnic tables is ideal for a clear day or a warm evening. And the kids will enjoy running around the lawns and playing at the climbing frames. There is inside seating and a rain-guarded patio in case the weather is not co-operative. The wait staff are genial, although could be quicker with their service. And the facilities are clean, well-maintained and come with a baby changing station too.
Location: Dagoretti Road, The Souk, Karen (opp. The Hub) Open: Mon-Sun, 7:30am-5:30pm Reservation: 0706 348215
Buy a copy of the DisCoucher book now and enjoy BOGOF dining at Tin Roof Café and many other fantastic restaurants around you. Call us on 0773 809556 or 0727 288036 to make your order.
