EATING AND OUTING: Well worth the money

After a rather unproductive and overcast Friday morning recently, I packed up my laptop with the false conviction that I would get some work done over the weekend and made my way to Karen where I was meeting a friend for lunch. Earlier in the week when he had asked me to name a spot for the date I had answered without much thought, “Let’s do J’s and sent him the address while smiling at my own genius.

I first went to J’s Fresh Bar & Kitchen when it had just opened and though I hadn’t eaten then, the vibe had appealed to me. I’ve been back dozens of times since. This unassuming gastropub tucked in one end of what used to be a residential compound between the junction at Ngong Road and Karen Road and the Karen Shopping Centre roundabout, is among my favourite places to eat in Nairobi. They manage – quite successfully – to combine culinary prowess, great customer service, a relaxed atmosphere and rustic elegance to create a wonderful experience.

When I got to J’s, my mate was looking about ready to hurl his breakfast all over the place. A loud, boorish man sitting at the bar was making wisecracks while his audience of four, standing around him, roared with laughter. Before we could ask them to keep it down, the maître d’ sensed our irritation, went over and gently, but firmly asked them to respect other patrons. That settled, I ordered their chargrilled chilli squid that goes for close to Sh900. I would ordinarily not do this if I had doubts about the dish’s perfection.

Squid is one of those things that need a little more expertise than bullet points off a random blog. To get a nicely seared, brown-stained surface without cooking the poor squid to the consistency of a cheap gumball is no easy task and the only thing worse than rubbery squid is rubbery squid.

Luckily, the kitchen crew at J’s know their stuff and my appetiser felt and tasted as good as it looked. It was drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice, sprinkled with fresh coriander and presented on what looked like the most charming cutting board decorated with hollandaise sauce: a great marriage of aesthetics and function.

Nothing from the menu at J’s is served on a conventional plate (another one of their quirky charms) and so when I ordered my entrée of fishcake and beetroot avocado salad, it came neatly arranged on yet another wooden board with a ramekin of horseradish rémoulade. This was my first time ordering fishcake that wasn’t made from crab and I was a little nervous, but my fears were extinguished with the first bite.

The potato was light, allowing for the flavour of the red snapper to permeate. A nice firm coating of breadcrumbs making it crunchy to the bite, sealed the deal. It is also worth noting that the patty did not crumble even after I cut out a few more pieces; something I found rather impressive. After all those rich tastes it was nice to have a simple refreshing salad which I could easily have had on its own.

When I was done, it was all I could not to strip and lie in the shade of a tree in the parking lot. So we ordered cocktails (me, their signature Zephyr and him something with a fancy name I can’t remember) and a Long Island and sipped in silence.

The experimental cocktails here are damn good and go for an average of Sh650, which is really decent.

Day soon turned to dusk and more people started to trickle in; a mixed crowd of young professionals straight from the office, ties and blouses loosened; some Karen cowboys, couples and the odd loner.

A DJ took to the booth in the corner by the kitchen and played his set of progressive house music turning what was a chilled eatery, not too long before, into a swinging pub.

I remember little from that evening except after the seventh or eighth cocktail with a beer in between, I called a cab to take me home. While I wouldn’t call J’s Fresh Bar & Kitchen largely affordable, I can say without a doubt that you get every penny’s worth. Try it!