Restaurant Review: Artcaffe

Today is a national holiday in Kenya and being a Friday, everyone is ready for the long weekend! I dropped off my sisters kid's at a birthday party in Adams Arcade and headed to Westgate Mall. This is the newest mall, located in the Westlands area and it is 24-7, which is a VERY new concept here. I haven't been here at 3am so I can't vouch for the 24-7 being exactly what it means.

Today, I have come to the Artcaffe which is an upscale cafe that I have been wanting to visit since I first toured Westgate. Artcaffe is a modern Coffee & Bakery that serves everything from fresh artisan bread, to Carpaccio to Humus sandwiches. In addition to their coffee, you can also get gourmet ice creams with names like "Affugato" which according to the menu is "two scoops of vanilla ice-cream, hints of cream iced with chocolate sauce then topped with espresso...knockout" I'm a lactard so of course I didn't sample this but at a cost of Ksh290 (about $4) it is very reasonable for a place that is considered "upscale".

This is probably the largest coffeehouse I have ever been to and perched from my loft vantage point, I count at least 20 tables on the main floor. The walls are white brick made to look stucco-ish with a ton of round pendant lighting that hangs from the extremely high ceiling. The ceiling itself is painted black in that industrial looking style and complements the white walls and dark furniture to a tee. In addition, Artcaffe boasts a huge tiled patio, which is the perfect place to enjoy an afternoon of grazing. The loft is small, only three tables and is adjacent to the bathrooms. If you don't think about the bathrooms, the loft serves as a really good place to look into the kitchen prep area, the main floor and also take a peek at the patio.

The atmosphere is casual but assaultive - the music played is great but WAY too loud. So, people resort to talking over the music and coupled with the sound of the open kitchen the place comes to a crashing crescendo. I'm not sure if the locals mind that too much because the place has been busy and the tables turning over at a rate that makes me want to see what kind of revenues this place is raking in:-) The clientele here is very varied, which must be one of the reasons they are turning tables quickly. You can definitely tell that all races are represented - Kenyans, Asians, Americans, Arabs, Indians...and that's all at first glance from my vantage point. They definitely must be doing something right!

As luck would have it (and my luck with restaurants has been shitty to say the least)I wait about 20 minutes before anyone waits on me. Of course, I count about 10 waitstaff who have passed by me and I say nothing (I'm all about the principle). Finally, I stop a meek looking waiter and ask him for a menu. He brings me a menu and politely takes my order. I also ask him to have his manager come to my table so I can complain about the wait time. The MOD comes and I tell her that I have waited for over 20 minutes and that the people on the patio (who I can see from my vantage point) got seated AFTER me and they already had their food. In addition I complain that 10 waiters passed me by and none of them asked to help. She was very apologetic and made sure I got my sandwich in about 5 minutes so all is not lost!! I ordered the Caprese sandwich (Ksh 490 or $7)and a tall glass of Passion juice (that has been my one indulgence since I landed) with lots of ice. The sandwich was good but if I were making it, I would definitely use a thicker slice of mozzarella - that's just me!

If you are around Westgate, definitely check this place out - you will not be disappointed!