Legacy Star Hotel and Kwi bar - Chuka

Their website describes this place as one "set on the slopes of Mt. Kenya and along the Embu -Meru Highway this is the perfect and refreshing stop for business conferences, retreats, family outings and to enjoy some time off with a good meal, sweet sleep, a well stocked bar with live entertainment as well as a perfect workout in the gym". we decided to sample this place in the middle of the country town of chuka.

Set right in the middle of Chuka town you expect the normal challenges of either insufficient or uncontrolled parking. After getting some parking spot (improvised along the Chuka - Meru highway) we walk back to the entrance. Green Uniformed security guards look on absent mindedly as we march in, we do not want test whether they know their job we just assume they do.

View from the Highway

  The reception happens to be on the ground floor next to the managers office and other administrative offices. The lady at the desk directs us to the staircase that leads to the restaurant and bar above. The restaurant is pretty simple and seemingly convenient with the partly open kitchen concept serving well the clients need to view their food in process.

Direct view from the  entrance

The waiters are a bit slow in coming for the order but eventually a lady approaches us and cheerfully explains the menu in between dashes to ask the chef what items were available. looking around i see several people taking coffee and the waitress explains that it is a popular spot for informal meetings since the setting allows convenience for deal making

Balcony eatery overlooking the town

I am told the Johns are in the bar past the balcony with additional seating space overlooking the town. on my way to empty my bowels i find a beautiful buffet arranged for a group that was in conference somewhere in the building. A glance at the bar also shows some hope of a professional bar man and management.

Back at the table i find the manager greeting guests happily ensuring everything was right and we quickly make acquaintance and give our thoughts. The food was not bad though slight improvement would not do any harm. An average establishment for a growing town those were our enlightened views. we were happy as we tipped the smiling waitress 

Buffet @ the Legacy star Kwi bar

The Safari park hotel (Thika road)

Much has been said about this historic place and my opinion may not matter much so i will just say what i experienced. Driving along a surprising free Thika Superhighway, i get this weird thought of taking a beverage at this great place. (This usually happens to commoners after payday whenever the normally empty pocket feels the weight of a timely salary payout)

Entrance

This place is so big that it has three entrance gates for different reasons i guess. I decide to use the Last gate which i am told is the main gate to the offices and nearest to the reception. The security man seems to like his work as he hands over the parking card and the environment is so natural with tonnes and tonnes of green flowing around the place.
The entrance to the lobby is just beautiful with the two lions guarding the entrance, Beautiful Red coat clad doormen and the great Jumbo in the background seemingly waiting to welcome the patrons into this similarly huge place. From the lobby i spot a mini bar just above the reception and following the stairs i order a bottle of cold drinking water. The most expensive price i have had to pay for the same since my birth.

The best thing is the temperature, the water was too cold my teeth almost fell into the glass but the stomach relished the experience. Several cultures sit around me  as i slowly sip my overpriced 500 ml bottle of H20. I swallow in the experience with an air of superiority feeling that i share this still air of greatness with these yellow, dark and light people from all over the world.

The staff is also quite respectful of my distance and stay away amidst regular glances at my direction. By the time i rise to leave i am feeling the effect of spending two lunches worth on drinking water. I leave a happy man.. i will come back one day and probably spend a whole month's salary on some camel ribs or milk if they do have that..

The luke hotel (Roasters inn) - Thika Road

According to their website,this fine hotel (Luke) and its sister restaurant (Roasters inn) have over the years, become symbols of excellence, sophistication and high quality service at pocket friendly costs. They claim that their goal is to make your stay pleasant, comfortable and memorable

I have always assumed that i know this place, well i discovered i did not. The boys were hungry for a fun filled evening and one had the excellent idea of roasters. After branching off from the super highway at the junction named after the same inn. The entrance is a few meters away from the round about. At the gate a lady guard approaches and after peeping inside needs to check the boot all the while speaking in some local dialect to a colleague i just hope her eyes do not miss anything while she concentrates on whispering loudly

Amazingly adequate is the parking space spread all the way from roasters inn all the way to the Luke hotel, i do not bother to ask about the capacity because the place is humongous. Out of curiosity we decided to view the facility and we walked through the large hotel reception with a strong warm red lounge and a tall maasai old man sculpture sited opposite the front desk. A smiling lady greets us in Swahili and explains a few questions we had briefly. From the lounge the swimming pool and the pool side seats are visible and the ambiance is amazing. It takes a lot to believe that we are only a stone throw from the busiest highway in the country
Inside the hotel we notice security personnel placed strategically watching from a distance as the patrons merry away the hours and money from their pockets. once or twice they redirect us along the paths and entrances around the place and we get into the inn.. our destination

From outside roasters seems like a tiny eatery, we step in that the truth after going through a security check and the first thing i see is layers of meat awaiting their date with human teeth. The place is divided into sections and we threw ourselves into one called  "Banda La Banda". A full goat is what we ask for and we seat down to sample drinks. The live band is tuning their instruments as we take our seats. what was to follow was the most memorable musical experience so far

As if they were told i had arrived, they sang from my greatest Bob Marley, UB40, Lucky dube, Alpha Blondy all the classic roots reggae to a few modern conscious hits and by the time i remembered the meat and food it was well past midnight. The music from the band was amazing. As i sat down to my meat they were switching to great country hits and wonderful zilizopendwa tunes with a dash of Lingala all done in the same great style. Kudos band, you made me sweat.

The goat was greatness in itself, the ribs done to the bone, the tenderness out of this world and mmmmmh the taste so good. They brought the head and the offals in the wee hours of the morning and i was amazed that our stomachs could still accept more. We kept gulping them down until the chaffing dishes were cleared and kept on dancing in between meat, mukimo and drink stops.

By the time we were leaving i had to be dragged out just because the others wanted to leave. This is one place that i would have stayed for more hours on end. My opinion speechless... just make sure you do not go alone.. carry a team of fun loving happy people and you will write the story too..

NATIVES SPORTS BAR AND GRILL - Nairobi

The boys needed to meet and re connect face to face; it had to be face to face since a full decade had elapsed before some laid eyes on each other. The air was filled with anticipation and the venue had to be an airy place with plenty of freedom to chat away our years of absence. The lots fell on Natives along Thika road Nairobi.

View from the main gate

The location next to the Gumba junction is so convenient you cannot miss it from either side of the highway since it is next to the flyover that connects the traffic from both sides of the superhighway. The nice security guy at the main gate, in well straightened uniform and clean boots, chats me up as he peeps into the car and allocates me a parking token. Another member of his team leads me to a vacant parking spot in the humongous parking area just at the entrance. After parking he welcomes me to the place and tells me, I will enjoy the dance.

The welcome leaves me excited, at the entrance there are other security personnel in dark fitting suits frisking each patron professionally as we enter the establishment. They welcome us in impeccable language and demeanor. I am taken aback by the sheer size of the club. As far as my eyes can see, people are dining, I am pretty convinced this is the eatery with the biggest client space in the city. The sitting areas are spacious unlike the tiny Nairobi clubs where you have to touch your neighbor's back whenever you leave for the Johns. They even have a real tent pitched in the middle serving as another restaurant with optional buffet service.

The African setting is amazing and the several bars strategically placed all over from right at the entrance give the place a colorful touch. Being a sports bar, a dozen big screens dot the walls and corners with the European matches beaming live from every angle with speakers chanting cool music to the whole institution from one Dj hidden in some music box. After tracing my buddies in the myriad of mini restaurants and bars, we order our drinks, this place has got it right in terms of staff; the waiters are as many as the clients, hardly half a minute passes without a waiter passing by our tables and in they operate so swiftly amid the great masses of revelers. Kudos to the management for that, I have not seen such efficiency in large establishments anywhere, these people got it right.

For a city club, this place has very fair pricing, though they will charge you if you ask for warm water, the warm drinks are warm and the chilled drinks come truly chilled, many of you will appreciate that convenience. They lacked honey when we needed it though but there lemons were fresh.

 Everyone seems to mind their own business as we laugh our throats dry, seems like the culture here, everyone knows what brought them here and do not pry into your lives, very good for those meetings that you do not want your boss to hear of, unless of course the boss attends his here. And when you arrive mind your own business.

Men do not meet in the absence of goat ribs, so we asked for several kilograms, still very fairly priced for Kenyans, two hours later the sizzling chunks are served by this cute nice girl, name withheld, who kept the boys entertained as she made rounds ensuring we were comfortable. I have no idea what they did to those ribs but it was worth the wait; served with Ugali that did it great additional  justice. Fingers were licked literally and the platters almost licked as well. 

The lit gangway and the dazing lights

 By the time anyone noticed the passing time it was deep into the night having exhausted, the laugh reserves in the body and wives calling to find out where there men were. This place will drain your pockets and you wont regret it, I know I did not. The sporty feel will follow you out with the multicolored floor lights confusing your brains