Bar Food That Isn’t Boring

A few years ago, the idea of great bar food would be roasted or fried meat with fries, rice and ugali. Now bar food has been spiced up with more varieties being served.

One such restaurant offering a different experience is Milan Lounge located in Nairobi’s Mirage Towers.

Noni Mwangi, the restaurant’s general manager says theirs is a menu for people who used to eat in other places before going to a bar to drink.

“Basically, our menu acts as an ‘undercover’ three-course menu,’’ she says.

Their menu includes breakfast dishes, salads and sandwiches, steaks and meat platters, chicken, beef and shrimp stir-fries as well as desserts and smoothies.

Noni is a former banker. Over time, she has managed different restaurants and clubs that saw her travel to Paris to train on hospitality management.

“The training equipped me with skills to ensure that a restaurant is managed properly to avoid common instances where income is hard to get due to poor management,” she says.

The chef’s salad, a popular starter is served in a large black bowl. It has chicken, beef, ham, cheddar cheese and a boiled egg. Fresh and crunchy, the salad whetted my appetite.

The mixed platter, dubbed “threesome” was our next meal. Meats are served in threes, hence the name. The platter has chicken wings, choma sausages, lamb skewers, potato wedges and salsa with chilli. We expected a larger portion but since we were two, wiping our plate clean was not a challenge.

The lamb skewers is chunky and flavourful, although it could have been more enjoyable if it was tender. The chicken wings were covered in signature barbecue sauce. The choma sausages are large and full of flavour.

Dessert was apple tart with vanilla ice cream featuring a hot and cold combination and a marriage of flavours with just the right amount of sweetness.

Soft to the slightest touch, the tart was a treat that ended our lunch on a delightful note.