I’ve been in Nairobi for about 10 days, and I’ve eaten food from Osteria del Chianti already 4 times. It’s not so much because it’s a favorite of mine, but because the people I’m with really seem to like it. They also have the incredible advantage of delivering (I’m not sure what their delivery area is, we live within a few hundred meters).
The menu includes pizzas, pastas and meat dishes. The pizzas are all individual size and Roman style – the owner is indeed Italian. They have paper thin crusts, a lack of abundance of cheese but fresh, tasty toppings. The prosciutto in the raw prosciutto pizza tastes Italian, and the abundant arugula in the gorgonzola and arugula pizza is clearly very fresh. In all, if you like Italian-style pizza (and I’m becoming a convert), they are pretty good. If I well remember they average about Ks. 600-700, $9 – 10.50. They are not really big enough to share.
I’ve had both their gnocchi and their meat lasagna so far, and both were OK. I liked the somewhat heavy consistency of the gnocchi, but the sauce needed bolder flavors. Abundant Parmessan cheese helped. It was a very generous portion.
I’m not sure what I didn’t like about the lasagna – other than the fact that the noodles were cooked al dente and that it could have used more cheese. I guess the sauce just didn’t buy me over. I’ve had better and worse.
I’ve only eaten at the restaurant once, and it was a very pleasant experience. It has a large patio, with shaded tables – which makes for a great dining experience in a warm day. Alas, the March rains have arrived in Nairobi, so eating inside may be a better option now. Their dining rooms are quite elegant.
I am sure that I will eat at the Osteria del Chainti again, and I’ll probably comment here about those meals.
Osteria del Chianti
Lenana Road
Nairobi
2 72 31 73
I’ve gone to the Osteria a few times since my review. I’ve been a little bit luckier with what I’ve gotten, but my general impression is that the food is way overrated. The restaurant, on the other hand, is charming.
In my last visit I had the lamb chops with mashed potatoes. It was a very generous portion of both and the lambchops were quite good, if a little overseasoned. I’d have them again. Both my companions had the spaghetti carbonara (or whatever pasta carbonara they offer), and one of them, at least, was not impressed. He’s the Italian, so I guess his opinion counts.
For dessert I’ve had their meringue concoction, which sounded much better than it tastes, and their tiramisu, which was OK. They really need to hire a pastry chef.
Had Red Snapper Livonese last night 15/12/2009 – food poisoning – unable to work today and missed important meeting.
Nice atmosphere, have had dinner there severla times before, but now not too sure
hey, just reading your post can make one salivate! I live in Nairobi but have never heard of “Osteria del Chianti”