This popular restaurant’s ultimate ‘beast of a feast’ menu offers a variety of meats, including ostrich, crocodile and lamb are served on a sizzling hot iron cast plate, together with delicious side dishes and an exceptional array of sauces.

Harriet James @harriet86jim

In my next life, probably, I would be an Australian, well, because my love for meat is unmatched.

Just so you know, Australia has built a reputation for itself as a nation of meat eaters.

As a matter of fact, according to the latest figures from the Organisation of Economic Development and Co-operation and UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, Australians devoured 92.57 kilogrammes of meat per person in 2019.

What I am trying to say in simple terms is, I love meat in every shape, flavour and colour.

It is this drive that took me to Carnivore restaurant along Lang’ata Road to sample some of their meaty flavours.

For 37 years, the establishment has been known as the ‘it place’ when it comes to meat servings. It’s true.

As you step in to the restaurant, the scent of delicious roasted meat instantly hits your nostrils, and if you were hungry, it would be heightened 10 times. So imagine if you had just come in for a meeting or an event! 

Eat till you drop

Proper Covid-19 protocols are followed as you enter the restaurant from temperature checks to hand washing, before you choose your preferred place to sit. 

As I waited to be served, I listened to soothing classic music in the background.

A team of polished waiters busily strode around from table to table offering an array of meats served on sizzling cast iron plates…I was choking on my saliva. 

I heard that the most popular serving was the beast of a feast, which comprises a platter of meat in different flavours and servings, so that’s what I requested.

I desired to have this experience where I could eat meat till I drop as they had advertised.

After waiting for about 20 minutes the ‘beast’ came and you should have seen my pupils widen as I watched it come to my table.

I was told that there is an orange and green flag, which is placed on top of the platter.

The green one is for those who don’t consume pork while the orange is for those who do not have allergies.

First, since I did not know which sauce went with what, it was time for a lesson.

There was tomato relish, ginger sauce, green chillie and wildberry sauce, which I tried out.

I thought that the ostrich meat would taste more like chicken, but to my surprise it tasted similar to beef.

Ostrich meat has low cholesterol and is high in protein and iron and is two-thirds less fatty than beef.  The restaurant has a contract with Ostrich Farm, which supplies them the meat. 

Marinated crocodile meat

At first, I resisted trying out the sauces because sometimes they don’t go well with meat, but I’m glad I did. For instance, adding garlic sauce to the crocodile fillet.

The meat tastes like fish and the garlic sauce made it more tasty, in my opinion.

The meat is taken from the back to the crocodile tail and is marinated to make it tender as the meat is usually tough. 

I read somewhere that mustard too compliments alligator meat because it’s both tart and tangy and has that same effect as when one is having fries with vinegar.

Crocodile meat is a healthy meat for humans by the way. It has high proteins and low fat composition compared to other kinds of meat and can prevent asthma, diabetes and assist with lowering cholesterol. 

I also tried out tomato relish with beef and sausage meat and there was also chicken gizzard for me to sample.

The mint sauce for the lamb gave it a tangy taste. There is a theory about this and why mint goes with lamb, always.

They say that once, Queen Elizabeth (I) decreed that lamb could only be served with bitter herbs like mint to curb people from eating too much and in an effort to assist in protecting the wool industry in England.

Since then, mint has always been served with lamb and it was less bitter, making it a perfect partner for lamb. 

Leonard Ngugi, the General Manager at Carnivore for the past five years came to join me during my lunch and told me of the various measures the restaurant has taken to ensure that the business keeps going despite the pandemic.

Apart from the usual meals, they have had various events and also tried to educate people on staying healthy. 

“We had the spinning challenge to help make people stay fit. We saw the need to create awareness for keeping healthy and fit by eating well and exercising  and have partnered with different gyms to attain this,” he says .

The meat came in small portions so I thought that I wouldn’t be full, always curious to try out the different flavours of meat that they brought.

But my stomach could take no more, when I saw honey glazed chicken wings coming my way.

I placed my flag down to mark that I had surrendered. The world is not coming to an end and there is always another day to try out another dish.