Chebet Korir  @chebetkorir

Live, love, and laugh. These three words caught my eye when I walked in at Bamboo Cask Lounge. 

Sounds a bit cliche right? But they say the little things in life matter the most.

I also don’t think that there are any local restaurants and lounges that have been so fearless in both risk taking and adapting to the ebb and flow of simple dining demands. 

It is is the story of how the restaurant came to be that first attracts me. The eatery is tucked in a quiet and hidden gem off Kolobot Road, Parklands a few minutes from Ngara shopping centre.

Where it all began

Four friends Mark  Gitahi, Dun Njenga, Gad Kamau and Eric Ng’ang’a were in dire need of a serene chill spot that allowed one to easily pop in for tasty meals and a well-relaxed ambience.

“We had visited several establishments, but could not find excellent services, so we started thinking to ourselves whether we could create that which we really desired, thus the birth of Bamboo Cask,” Gitahi narrates. 

Ng’ang’a recalls the origin of the restaurant’s name,” We had gone hiking in Aberdare Ranges and when we reached the Bamboo Forest it was an unforgettable experience.

Cool temperature, ultimate relaxation, and external spaces that just stood out to us.

As for  Cask, well, well-matured drinks are put in casks and with that, we wanted a combination of the two; ambient temperature where you get mature service, food and alcohol. 

Hangover cure

As the name depicts, the lounge is surrounded by well-aligned Bamboo sticks, with a simply played out French décor at the terrace, long seats, and tables for those who would want a taste of the sun.

For the party goers, there’s an utterly attractive bar completed with rotating disco balls, well-spaced leather seats with red and blue lightings, an array of drinks at the bar, and a VIP area for those who would like an intimate time.

The kitchen is open plan that most certainly stood out for me, you could tell the food is fantastic, especially dishes that came off the grill.

To settle us in, I tucked into a couple of cocktails, which I must say, were excellent. For starters, I had chicken soup made by Chef Moses Kariuki.

The soup consisted of a boiled piece of chicken, bananas, potatoes, spinach, and pepper.

It was one of the most unexpected food dishes that stood out for me. I recommend the soup as a hangover cure.  

I chose chicken kienyeji, one of the signature dishes as my main meal. It is also my biggest guilty pleasure, so we couldn’t resist ordering. I was not disappointed.

The chicken was rich in earthly flavours and well-cooked, keep in mind kienyeji chicken needs a good cook who can execute it well.

And just before we called it quits, the cheerful waiters came in with wet and dry fried goat meat, hot and fresh and generously portioned. 

It was rich and tender and robustly seasoned. Having feasted on all that food, we did not have enough room for dessert, but a cold beer worked well to clear our throats.