A taste of Asian cuisine at the Safari Park Hotel

If there is one establishment that has withstood the hands of time, it would be Safari Park Hotel.

It was, and still is one of the best places to have some quality family time as it offers something for all family members.

The hotel has managed to stay consistent over the years, even through the construction of Thika Road when accessibility sometimes was difficult. I recently visited the establishment, which I fondly remember from my younger days.

I was pleasantly surprised to find their Japanese restaurant ‘The Chiyo’ still in operation.

Not many people associate Safari Park with having an Asian cuisine, it is known for its meat. The Chiyo has an exclusive Japanese restaurant with a small Korean selection.

The wide selection can be confusing but the staff is more than happy to guide guests through the meals, even before you ask. I found that to be very useful, because it’s a bit awkward asking about each and everything before you ordered, giving suggestions.

Japanese cuisine has a lot of seafood variety, as well as rice. Our predictable move was to order for some sashimi.

It’s not what many Kenyans would ‘readily’ eat, but travel and opening up of these restaurants locally has exposed people to other cuisines.

The platter of 10 or 12 pieces has salmon, tuna, prawn and snapper cold cuts, arranged in a bed of fresh radish.

There are various kinds of sushi dishes, including nigirizushi (hand formed sushi), makizushi (rolled sushi), and chirashi (sushi rice topped with raw fish).

Make sure you have your soy sauce in hand and wasabi, cherry tomato and ginger to make the dish more flavourful. A hot steaming bowl of miso soup, which is even good for your health, compliments the whole experience.

Apart from rice, staples include noodles. We sampled udon, which came in a hot steaming bowl with some prawn and vegetables in rich soup.

There options for the vegetarians as well.

The Chiyo is open throughout the week for lunch and dinner till late. Its location in Safari Park gives it a quiet and peaceful environment ideal for business lunch or dinner as well as a social event.

Guest can also enjoy teppanyaki at the tables.

For more please log onto www.eatout.co.ke/TheChiyo