Kaldis :Great for a quick, no-fuss lunch

As a tea person, I don’t often go to establishments that trade as coffee houses, but recently, I absentmindedly strolled into a branch of the popular Kaldis Coffee House chain on the ground floor of the Professor Nelson Awori Centre in Nairobi’s Upperhill.

I had just seen my dermatologist on another floor of the same building and after an hour’s wait, I was famished and about ready to eat the next person I came across.

As I made to exit the premises, I spied what was obviously an eatery, walked in and plonked myself on the first chair I saw. It was only after a few moments that I realised where I was.

Kaldis is well situated within reach of the three main entry-exit points of the building, allowing for sufficient air circulation and plenty of natural lighting. The high ceilings and minimalist light fixtures give the effect of a clean and roomy space, but are rudely disrupted by gaudy wall panels and textures reminiscent of the tacky backsplash tiling of Western kitchens of the 60s.

EXTRA CHEESE

The furniture is the utilitarian kind you would find in most coffee shops around the world, but they do have a few intimate booths. What’s fantastic is that the walls are lined with a good number of power supply points so guests are able to work without worrying about dying batteries.

Without paying much attention to the menu, I ordered the chicken wrap with chips rather than the vegetable or fruit salad accompaniments my waiter suggested. The mint lemonade sounded very refreshing and healthy making it an easy pick. Perhaps I was too hungry to think rationally, but my order seemed to take longer than I expected and I had to check with the waiter that he hadn’t forgotten me.

My lemonade followed soon after this and it was quite impressive. Not so watery and yet not so thick as to resemble a smoothie, the ground mint gave it a wonderful texture and brilliant hues of green.

For the Sh600 I paid for the wrap and chips (and Sh100 for cheese), the portions were very good. The tortilla wraps were nice and soft and the potato chips nicely seasoned, giving them just the right amount of kick without overpowering the sweet barbeque taste of the chicken stuffing.

The cheese lover that I am, I sent the wrap which was halved, back to the kitchen because I could not taste any cheese. The staff were very patient with me and granted my request without demanding an extra fee.

Kaldis is the sort of place that is great for a quick lunch between office hours if you work in one of the numerous office complexes surrounding it, but I would not go out of my way to eat there.