I recently made my way to Urban Coffee, Gateway Mall to sample their new menu. If you haven’t been to Urban, let me give you a little history. Urban coffee is a Kenyan owned coffee house that opened about 4 years ago and has three branches in Nairobi, one at Capital centre, the other at 197 Lenana road and the one I visited at Gateway mall. FYI – If you live in Syokimau and its environs and haven’t made your way to Urban Coffee, you are doing yourself a disservice.
I will skip the part of how you actually get your ass all the way to Gateway Mall because google maps is your friend if you are not familiar with that side of town. It’s hard to miss the restaurant located on 1st Floor of the mall and a pull-up banner right outside indicating your arrival.
On Monday at 9:10am, I take a sit just next to the door at Urban Coffee Gateway mall where I get to watch the activity going on in the kitchen at the counter and watch fellow coffee lovers. If you want a view then you can sit by the window and watch the busy highway. and I am surprised that the cafe already has a couple of guys sipping their cappuccinos and lattes. The first thing I notice is how spacious Urban Coffee is, I later learn that the restaurant can sit between 80-100 people.
Their brand vision has always been connecting the community over a great coffee experience and I am excited to see what this new menu has to offer. I sampled over 25 items off their menu and in part 2, I will get to show you the different foods that you need to try out at Gateway Mall and whether you get value for your money.
Before we get to the sampling in my next article (look out for the new post in the course of the week), wonder no more why I am just over here fussing about Urban Gateway;
- New chef: I guess you can’t teach old dogs new tricks, so the Urban management decided to switch up things a little bit. They have hired a new head Chef John Maina who has over 12+ years experience in the industry with previous work history at Sarova Hotels. He is the brains behind the new menu.
- New menu: They were more continental but the new menu infuses some great African dishes with an elegant display seeking to celebrate the African authenticity through adopting of local dishes e.g. the katogo, mbaazi, whole tilapia etc.They are also appealing to the health conscious customers like myself who are seeking healthy eating habits. Safe to say I liked their selection.
- Service: adequately staffed, the waiters are very friendly, attentive to detail, prompt. I was actually eavesdropping the head waiter quarrelling a guy who was serving us if he knew the particulars of what was in our food, if the customer was to ask.
- Sitting space/ambiance: confession – I was quite taken aback by how spacious the coffee house is. There are a few paintings on the walls and they have chosen a very warm and jazzy vibe with their deco. I really love how they have played around with the lighting! However, their seating booths are quite few.
- Music: you won’t be struggling to hear your date or your business partner speak! They play a cool selection of soft jazz!
- Presentation: “You eat with your eyes first,” and Urban Coffee take this seriously. They have upgraded their presentation game and the food won me over right before I dug in.
- Kid friendly: they have a select kids menu and even some great discounts on meals. They do not serve alcohol and you can be sure they have enough space to accommodate family.
- AOB: Fast WI-FI, takeaways available and it is an ideal for that quick pick me up cup of coffee on your way to or from work.
