Indian restaurant makes its mark in Nairobi hotel scene

With the current crunch in the economy, several media advertorials have been urging the huge number of unemployed youths to get involved in self-help projects.

Funds have been given out and more sponsors are coming on board to boost brilliant ideas. But among the number, there are special individuals who are already making their mark in society and building their own names by starting their own companies. Amil Mughal is one of them.

Located in the bustling area of Adams Arcade, Mughals Restaurant is slowly becoming the ‘it’ joint for most of the residents living around the area.

Only about a year since its inception, the restaurant has seen an enviable amount of customers through its doors and only because of one thing; great service.

The ambience is homely and down-to-earth, a notable difference from the ‘overdone’ environment that most acclaimed restaurants in Nairobi offer.

Despite the space, the tables are well-spaced offering an impressive amount of privacy to each diner.

Amil Mughal comes out to welcome his guests and quickly arranges a table for us and explains that he is busy in the kitchen, overseeing the cooking to ensure that the food is made to perfection.

Promising to join us later, he ducks behind the kitchen door and we are left admiring the family paintings on the wall, obviously a show of solidarity and support for the young lad.

A waiter takes our drink orders and suggests that we have the tree tomato cocktail which was arguably one of the richest drinks I’ve tasted in a long while. The menu has a large selection of traditional Indian barbeques to choose from.

Amil is back again at the table to take our next order and he suggests one of the favourites, the mixed platter, for those who want to sample all of the juicy bites at one go. This has a mix of kebabs, boneless tikka and mushkakis grilled to perfection.

What’s nice is that they can all be done to one’s preference of spiciness. The meats were surprisingly tender and you could distinctively taste the flavours of the spices that were used.

We found out later that Amil marinates them himself. He threw in the Dilip Kumar lamb chops with amazingly crispy fries and I wondered if there was a possibility of a food heaven on earth. You just have to try it to believe it.

What followed next was a mixture of buttered Naans and a marinated boneless chicken tikka that was simply great!

For the quality of food served, the prices are jaw-droppingly affordable. The most expensive meal on the menu is the platter, which costs Sh695 trickling down to a plate of amazingly tasty fries that cost only Sh120.

Amil takes us on a small tour of the restaurant as he tells us about his passion for food and how his friends and family supported him in his venture.