Savanna Coffee Lounge

 

Last week my brother and I we were driving past Nairobi Hospital, saw that the newest Savanna Coffee Lounge had opened up,on Ralph Bunche Rd, and made a mental note to check it out. This is Sasini Coffee House Limited's third installment of its kind in the city - the other locations are on Loita Street and Museum Hill. Sasini's vision is to put Africa on the map by opening a multitude of "African-themed coffee houses".

After a hard day of apartment hunting, Jonathan and I decided to make a pit stop at Savannah and find out what all the hoopla was about. As I walked through the black-stained wooden doors (Lamu style in my opinion) leading to the lounge, I was immediately greeted by the gentle "woosh" of water falling on rock and what do you know? There is a water feature on one side of the wall, which drowns the noise from the street and let's face it...the voices in my head. As I pull myself from the hypnotic lull of the water, I notice that the patio area is markedly bigger than the actual lounge. Airy - that is how I would describe the Savanna Coffee Lounge in one word. One of the waitstaff says hello as Jonathan makes for the lounge (he hates being in the elements) and I cannot imagine why anyone would want to sit inside when the patio is so open and inviting. The Parasols on each of the tables are burnt orange and nicely complement the earthy terracotta tiles on the patio floor. I did look inside the lounge and loved the chocolate brown leather loungers/sofas as well as the zebra patterned pendants that hung above the counter - not bad at all - kind of stuff I would want in my living room! I think that must be what they were going for - "inviting" - just like your own living room would be.

Even though we are here on a coffee break, I take the time to really look at the entire menu and can't help but wonder when I'll be back for a real meal. I ordered my regular poison of choice - black coffee, no sugar and a ginger cookie. Jonathan ordered the Masala Chai, which is a mix of Sasini Tea with selected spices brewed in hot milk (smelled heavenly and according to Jonathan it was really good). Savanna offers everything from Breakfast, Soups, Sandwiches, Salads, to Burgers, Grill and Main Courses from around the globe. For drink selections, think Icy Fruit Slushies in 8 different flavors, Milk Shakes, Frapes, Coffee Chillers, Iced Coffees/Tea, Mocktails (the lounge is non-alcoholic), Smoothies and Luscious Hot Chocolate (Dark/White). Let's face it, I'll have to come back quite often if I'm going to eat my way through this expansive menu! One menu offering I'm dying to sink my teeth into is listed under the "Quick Eats" part of the menu - Buffalo Croquette (Buffalo mozzarella mixed with potatoes seasoned with a dash of herbs, and crumb fried to a sunny gold. Served with a sweet tomato chilly dip). Mmhh, these little balls of melt-in-your-mouth goodness are just calling my name!!

While I was there, the board of directors was having a meeting and since I asked to take pictures, I got to meet some of the members as well as the Head of Operations, Mark Matthews, who struck me as a laid back kind of guy who lets the operation run without the power trip. He and his staff made me feel very welcome and this is a place I would be happy to recommend to anyone. There are three reasons (apart from the food) that will make me come back to this place - great customer service, use of local artisans for all labor/aesthetics and use of locally grown ingredients.