Bubble tea and fresh dishes made to order
By People Reporter, December 5, 2019Nailantei Norari
Food and I are in a strong committed relationship that has lasted several decades and remained largely unfazed, whatever cuisine phase I may be going through.
This is why I find any excuse to try out new restaurants. At times I stumble on veritable gems, such as the one I will share today. This was after a colleague recently got a bowl of food delivered to our offices.
I only got a forkful of delicious noodles and was politely asked to order mine when I asked for seconds.
Being a curious cat, I was referred to DJC Kitchen. It is a newly opened Asian restaurant on, Koinange Street in Nairobi.
Here, paintings evocative of blackboards and writings in white chalk dot the walls. Artisan pineapples and leafy green foliage hang off the walls, giving the restaurant a modern vintage feel. They have 5g Wi-Fi and direct charging ports —for those of us who eat better ‘while working’.
One of the specialties they are known for, is the build-your-own-bowl specialty. You get to pick your main meat, side accompaniments, five vegetables and a sauce.
Mojito mocktail
I love noodles and fish with teriyaki sauce, so that part was easy. Choosing my vegetables was however an uphill task, as I am a self-proclaimed rabbit.
At DJC, everything is made to order, cooked in an open kitchen where you can see the chefs toss the veggies in the pans. After about 15 minutes, my food arrived and it was as sumptuous as it was healthy.
For a drink, I opted for a mango mojito from the barista Frank Odera. Suffice it to say; one drink was not enough. Remember it is a mocktail and I rarely go past one of any virgin drink.
They serve great cocktails too, but these I only explore baada ya kazi with friends. After all, we need to be responsible working citizens if we are going to successfully commit to working our way through the potent side of the cocktail list, right? After my filling lunch, I thanked my colleague for being my unwitting plug.
Since then, I have been back to DJC several times. I have had their chicken with fries and their lamb with more fries as well. My current favourite is the lamb rack with regular fries.
Do not pick the large fries, I beg you. The regular fries come in a bucket that seems bottomless. At some point I was convinced some Miracle of Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath proportion had been done, as my fries were never running out! And that was the regular fries’ mini-bucket!
Their lamb is delicious and soft, with just the light tug and the tiniest crust. It arrives on a warm slab with dollops of mustard to accentuate the plating, with a side plate of fresh kachumbari and several sauces to pick from. I ate everything.
I considered licking the slab (I have been lying to people that I am cultured; it is so hard watering a lie). Talking about water, nutritionists say you have to take fluids with your meals.
Whenever I choose a mock tail, or a juice, pineapple mint is my personal favourite, if I am heading back to the office. Not water. I will only take water during Mututho escapades.
I recently discovered DJC has takeaway bubble tea too. The last time I had bubble tea was while on a visit to Dubai and that was centuries ago. DJC Kitchen is the only restaurant that serves bubble tea in Kenya.
They make the boba type, also called tapioca balls, fresh in the restaurant. The boba are touted as having multiple health benefits as they contain fibre and omega 3s.
And these are just a few of the reasons why I patronise DJC. But don’t take my word for it, try either their takeaways or show up at the restaurant and thank me later.