Safari254

As promised, here is my review of the restaurant at Sands at Nomad. If you missed my review of the hotel you can check it out here.

The restaurant is open to both guests and the public. The restaurant was a short walk from my room and is located right next the beach bar.

 

 

 

The décor at both the restaurant and bar is impressive. The restaurant is housed under a huge canopy which lets in the light beautifully during the day. The extensive use of rich brown wood is simply majestic.The white wood branches used as a centerpiece really catch the eye.

 

 

 

 

In hindsight I should have written down all the names of the meals I had but I was far too hungry to. Please excuse my vague descriptions; and let the pictures do the talking.

As an appetizer before every meal .

 

On my first day I had a beef burger with cheese and a side of fries. The patty was tasty and succulent, all the ingredients came together to make the perfect burger.

 

 

 

 

When dinner came around I was a bit indecisive but in the end I picked the tagliatelle with sea food. The color was initially a put off but my meal turned out to be delectable. I was tempted to order it again but on second thought I decided not to order the same meal twice.

 

As I sat down to enjoy my meal I was joined by the very chubby hotel cat, (s)he seemed to sense that I needed some company.  Unlike most cats in hotels (s)he did not beg for food but instead just rested near my table and even snoozed a bit.

 

 

For dessert I went for homemade vanilla ice cream, but I did not enjoy it as it was full of tiny icicles. The texture was inconsistent and not as creamy as I had expected.

 

Overall I enjoyed my meal. Given the open nature of the restaurant, there is no need for air conditioning, the breeze from the sea is enough to keep you cool. This however means that there are loads of mosquitoes around. Throughout dinner on the first night I had what felt like a scourge of mosquitoes feasting on my blood.  After that I learned my lesson and kept my legs covered the next day.

 

 The Restaurant at night

 

The next day I chose a salad for lunch. I can’t remember all of the ingredients but it had nuts, prawns, lettuce and strawberries.

 

 

 Majestic views of the beach

 

Of all the meals I had the salad was my least favorite. It was the only time I did not clear my plate, or rather bowl.

Fortunately dinner that night made up for the earlier disappointment. I had steak, potatoes and creamed spinach. My first impression was the portion seemed rather small but in the end it turned out to be filling.

 

 

To top it all off I chose tiramisu for dessert. I love tiramisu and their version did not disappoint me. Every spoonful was a delightful experience.

 

 

 

 

The menu is varied and there are lots of options for vegetarians.

One thing to note is that if you are a hotel guest you will have to pay for all your drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) separately. The only exception is breakfast.

The prices are not cheap but are affordable.

Breakfast is served buffet style. There is a wide varierty consisting of fresh fruit, fresh juice, cereal, yoghurt, bread, you name it. There is also a selection of meats and a chef on standby to prepare your egg or pancake as you want.

 

The service was amazing, I never had to wait too long for any of my meals. The staff were really friendly, sometimes a little too much. I would have to answer the same question multiple times i.e. the waiter serving me would ask if I was enjoying my meal, another waiter would pass by and ask the same question and then the restaurant manager would ask again. You could tell that the hotel management is really keen on guest satisfaction.

Allow me to deviate a bit. As with most hotels at the coast you will encounter beach boys while walking along the beach.  What was different this time is that the beach boys working on the hotel’s stretch of beach all had identification and wore blue t-shirts.  This made them easier to trust and I never had to worry about leaving any of my belongings on the beach while I went to dip my feet in the ocean.

Beach boys will try to sell you anything and everything, they will follow you around then try to charge you for taking you on a ‘tour’. Never assume that they are doing anything out of kindness. If you are to do any sort of business with beach boys always agree on the price beforehand.

Experience has taught me and I am generally wary whenever a beach boy approaches me. I had a rather interesting experience during my stay, during the low tide in the morning I had walked to a rock outcrop to view some sea life. While there a beach boy showed up, he seemed to be looking for starfish to sell. When he found one, I was curious and went to look. Once I was done walking around he followed me back and asked me for Kshs1,500 ($16) for his services. I was stunned, all he had done was show me a starfish and yet he expected some pay, of which he got none.  

 

 

 

Sea Cucumber

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Clownfish, or as everyone calls them, Nemo fish

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That said, not every single beach boy is out to take advantage of you. I did meet a couple of nice ones one of whom didn’t hesitate to pose for me when I wanted  to take shots of the sunrise.

 

 

I also met this Masai man selling his wares along the beach. He asked me to take a picture of him.

 

 

Disclosure: The management at Sands at Nomad were gracious enough to host me; however all opinions are mine

Have you been to the Sands at Nomad Restaurant? What do you think of the place? Share your experiences …

 

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