Cooking in Kenya is an art that requires one to do more than dump ingredients in a pan and placing it on the fire, fervently praying and hoping for the best results. The lack of culinary abilities in Kenya should not spell doom to you because now there are affordable courses offered in colleges in Kenya that are giving you hope to those with limited cooking abilities, that with time can help you create authentic delicacies, which someone can actually enjoy without having the gag reflex. Cooking classes in Kenya are mostly attended by the people who have recently started families and by those with the hotel industry career in Kenya. There are several cooking training colleges in Kenya that people can enrol for cooking lessons. Among the many colleges and universities which offer catering and hotel courses in Kenya, Zetech College in Kenya is one and its known to be best with cooking training in Kenya.

Location of Zetech College in Kenya

Zetech College in Kenya is located in Moi Avenue on Pioneer House in Nairobi. Zetech College is a private affordable institution in Kenya that offers you a chance to equip yourself with a cooking skill that is useful in life. Zetech College in Kenya provides courses offered in the hotel and catering for students in Kenya, which last for a time range of one year.

Cooking courses offered by Zetech College in Nairobi

Zetech College in Kenya offers many cooking courses to students in Kenya which include: Diploma in food and beverage, Diploma in catering and accommodation, Diploma in Hotel and Catering, Diploma in Food and beverage and Diploma in food production.

Short cooking courses offered for a period of three months in Zetech College in Kenya include: Cake making, icing and decoration, Pastries, Meal preparation courses and Basic food production

Attending these cooking classes in Kenya is definitely worth sacrificing the time as the reason for learning how to cook in Kenya are many. Learning how to cook with Zetech College in Kenya has many advantages apart from it being an essential human skill, it adds zeal and excitement to life, cooking gives you pride as you watch your innovation, one becomes self sufficient and saves a lot ,finally it helps you bond with your family as all of you experience the joys  of good health and benefits of cooking your own food in Kenya.

If you have a heart for wine and you are looking for where to get that bottle of great wine in Nairobi to serve for a very important dinner or yourself, look no further. These are the areas to get great wine in Kenya. As a wine aficionado, I can vouch for them.

Chandarana Supermarket in Nairobi

Chandarana Supermarket in Kenya is located on 3rd floor of 197 Lenana Place, Lenana Road in Nairobi. One can order wine online in Nairobi from their Chandarana Supermarket website on www.chandaranasupermarkets.co.ke, and there is a secure online ordering system for wines. You can also go personally and check what Chandarana Supermarket have from their portfolio. The minimum order of wine from Chandarana Supermarket is Kshs 1,000, and there is free delivery in Nairobi. For example,  a classic wine like the Moet & Chandon Brut, Champagne, France retails for Kshs 6,395 in Chandarana Supermarket in Nairobi. The Sky Vodka and Sky Blue Vodka are Kshs 1,195 in Chandarana Supermarket in Kenya.

Mia Wines International in Nairobi

Mia Wines and Spirits International in Nairobi is the leading importer of Fine Wines and Champagnes in Kenya. Mia Wines and Spirits International in Kenya has a portfolio which consists of 300 different wines from South Africa, Argentina, Chile, Spain, Germany and France. Examples of the wines that Mia Wines and Spirits International in Nairobi sell are Nicolas Feuillate Champagne and Chateau Talaud from France, Mara Wines, Springfield Estate, Juno, Goats Do Roam from South Africa The Sadie Family Wine, The Chocolate Block and Ken Forrester, Blue Nun Wines from Germany and Santa Carolina from Chile. For wine deliveries in Nairobi, one simply emails Mia Wines and Spirits International at [email protected]. Payments of wines delivered by the Mia Wines and Spirits International are made via Mpesa, and they have free deliveries in Nairobi.

Wines of the World Wine Bar and Shop in Kenya

Wines of the World Wine Bar and Shop in Kenya is located on the ground floor, The Junction in Lavington in Nairobi. I recently visited this place. Wines of the World Wine Bar and Shop in Kenya have a wine shop and even have a wine tasting room in Nairobi. They have a lounge area with nice furniture that help you relax as you sip your wine. Wines of the World Wine Bar and Shop in Nairobi have a vast cabinet of wines and spirits collection, and it is one of the best I have seen. There are over  100 types and selections of wine in Wines of the World Wine Bar and Shop. A glass of quality wine from Wines of the World Wine Bar and Shop in Kenya retails from as low as Kshs 350 onwards depending on the type.

Common night clubs, bars and lounges in Nairobi

Most of the clubs in the city of Nairobi have wine collection in their counters. Though most may stock beer, vodka and other quick selling types of alcohol in Kenya, most actually sell good wine. Examples of clubs in Nairobi that have a good wine portfolio are Waka Waka Bar, Resturant and night club, Tribeka and Club Sylk in Nairobi town, and Skyluxx lounge and Galileos club in Westlands among others in Nairobi city centre.

Kenya Wine Agencies (KWAL) in Nairobi

Kenya Wine Agencies (KWAL) in Nairobi have great brands in their portfolio that are locally made and distributed. The wines at Kenya Wine Agencies (KWAL) are Highlife fortified wine, Kingfisher, Highlife medium sweet, Yatta wines, Rocamar caprice and Black tower.

Wines and Spirit Shops in Nairobi

There is wines and spirits shop in every town, and Nairobi is no exception. These are small shops that are owned by individuals in Nairobi which sell wines and spirit in town. One can browse through their brands. Although it is hard to get all brands of wines in Nairobi wines and spirits shops, one can order, and they can get it from the various distributors in Nairobi.

Supermarkets that stock wine in Nairobi

Some supermarkets in Nairobi have an alcohol section and one is likely to get wine there. Examples of these supermarkets in Nairobi CBD which stock wines are Nakumatt, Turskys, and Chandarana Supermarkets.

Whether you decide to shop online for wines in Kenya, for your wine or you decide to look for it yourselves. You will most probably get your brand of choice in the above wine spots in Nairobi.

With the increase of Kenyan population, many investors are investing in recreational facilities and hotels within Kenya. Competiveness of the hotels in Kenya has made the hotel industry in Kenya to become wider. Though the hotel industry in Kenya is pre-dominated by individual investors, now many companies in Kenya are eyeing to invest in hotels in Kenya due to high returns.

Machakos County in Kenya is not left out in the Hotel investment sector in Kenya as there are many hotels now being set up in Machakos Town in Kenya. The hotels in Machakos in Kenya being developed are mainly spurred by the new Machakos City project in Kenya which is expected to attract many investors in Kenya- both locally and internationally. Garden hotel in Kenya is one of the best hotels in Machakos town. Garden Hotel in Machakos is located in the heart of Machakos County. Machakos Town is located 60 km from Nairobi city in Kenya. Garden Hotel in Machakos is located along Mwatu Wa Ngoma Road in Machakos. Garden Hotel in Kenya features 67 stylish and well appointed guest rooms in Machakos and four suites featuring custom crafted furniture, granite and marble bathrooms. To get to Machakos Town in Kenya from Nairobi, you board matatu in Machakos Country bus stage in Nairobi which is located near Muthurwa bus stage in Nairobi.

Internet connection has been the hot competitive facility in Kenya, as many recreation places in Kenya are now offering free wifi to their clients. Garden hotel in Machakos town has also high speed internet connection and flat screen TVs with DSTV. Garden Hotel in Machakos also provides conferencing services in Machakos via the over 6,800 square feet of flexible meeting space available. The Garden Hotel in Kenya has four conference rooms accommodating up to 250 delegates with each conference room having installed fully functional air conditioners, natural daylight and black out facilities, sound proofed classes, wireless internet connection and full complement of audio visual equipment.

The Garden Hotel ivory bar in Machakos offers an intensive cocktail menu both to locals and international visitors to Kenya. The Garden restaurant in Machakos offers many rich dishes of local and foreign foods. The waitresses are professional and highly committed to their work in Garden Hotel. The Garden Hotel facilities in Machakos also include a salon, health club and a swimming pool which offers classy services. Due to both local and foreign clients Garden Hotel in Machakos receives, both Kenyan Shillings (KES) and US Dollars payment currencies are acceptable which can be paid either through Mpesa, Credit cards and Cash.

Garden hotel in Machakos can be contacted via P.O.BOX 223 Machakos or on telephone number are: +254- 20-260-8702/0+254 7-2477-5027. The nearest airport to Garden Hotel in Machakos is Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is located about 60 km from the Garden hotel in Machakos. Welcome to Machakos best hotel and enjoy the Garden Hotel services in Kenya.

Pizza is definitely a classic favourite in Kenya. Pizza in Kenya comes in all shapes and size, all flavors and tastes. The modern pizza was discovered in Italy and has become an all-time favourite snack for most people here in Kenya. There are many pizza joints all over Nairobi town.

There are very many pizza joints in Nairobi, the most famous being Pizza Inn. Many people flock this eatery and more so on Tuesdays. Pizza Inn in Nairobi has a pizza offer on Tuesdays where you get two pizzas for the price of one. They call this “The Terrific Tuesday”.  You will find a wide range of pizza sizes from small to large sized pizzas. Pizza Inn offers traditional styled pizzas such as margherita and pepperoni flavours to American styles such as Barbeque Steak and Hawaiian pizzas. Most Pizza Inn joints are found in almost all Oil Libya petrol stations in Nairobi. You can also find the pizzeria in the Galitos chain along Moi Avenue, opposite StanBank House at the heart of Nairobi city.  For those at home, Pizza Inn has a dial a delivery service where they deliver pizza to your doorstep once you order on call in Nairobi. Pizzas at Pizza Inn are served within ten minutes of placing an order unless on Tuesdays when people jam the eatery with endless orders.

There is another relatively new pizza joint in Nairobi town called Pizza King. Pizza King in Nairobi is located along Tom Mboya Street, near Afya Centre Building. This is a rather larger area as compared to Pizza Inn and has relatively lower prices too. Debonairs is another pizza joint in Nairobi city. These are a bunch of pizzerias that started in South Africa and expanded to Kenya close to seven years ago. Debonairs, also like Pizza Inn, does deliveries to locations 5km away from Nairobi city centre for free. However, your order must be worth atleast KSH 600 for the free delivery. They also deliver to locations over the 5kms radius from Nairobi city centre at a fee. Debonairs pizzeria is found along Muindi Mbingu Street in Nairobi.

You can of course also order for pizza in most fancy hotels in Nairobi. For example, Trattoria hotel located right at the Kaunda and Wabera Streets junction is an Italian restaurant that sells pizza as well as other Italian dishes. Nowadays, you can get pizza even in the supermarkets in Kenya. Tuskys supermarket in Kenya sells pizza at its food sector. A piece of pizza goes for KSH 150 or thereabout. You do not have to run your financial well dry for pizza! If you did not know, now you do.

Every now and then in Kenya, we like to imagine we are in Rome, and as such we want to do what the Romans do. In as much as trying out a fried snail is a tad too explorative, eating with chopsticks is a worth the while challenge to Kenyans. There are many hotels in Nairobi that offer the very best of Chinese cuisine. For those who would wish to take up the challenge and the thrill, here are a few leads on the best preferred hotels in Nairobi:

China Plate in Nairobi

China Plate in Kenya is probably the most famous Chinese restaurant in Nairobi city. China Plate hotel in Nairobi is located along Valley road, off Kenyatta Avenue on Chancery Building. China Plate is approximately 1 kilometer, or a 6 minutes’ drive from Nairobi City Centre. China Plate hotel is well known for it’s rather finger licking servings and has gained popularity amongst the business persons of Nairobi city. China Plate in Kenya is most preferred for its Szechwan Chinese cuisine.

Zen Garden in Westlands, Nairobi

Zen Garden in Nairobi is yet another Chinese restaurant found in Westlands area. Zen Garden hotel offers high class serene eating environments to Kenyans and tourists. Zen garden is divided into 3 sections namely, The Bamboo Oriental Restaurant, The Zen Square Conference rooms and The Jade Coffee House and Tea House. Each of these eating establishments under Zen Garden in Nairobi offers something different from the other. The Bamboo Oriental Restaurant in Nairobi being for candlelit dinners in a large open plan restaurant, The Conference Rooms in Zen Garden restaurant being for friendly meetups of groups, and cocktail meetings while the coffee house in Zen Garden hotel is ideal for quiet and intensive business meetings.

Fang Fang Hotel in Nairobi

Fang Fang hotel in Kenya is located in Lavington area in Nairobi, along James Gichuru Road. The Fang Fang restaurant in Nairobi overlooks a garden and is ideal for a family outing as the patio is large and spacious. There are seats found outside the restaurant in Nairobi with shades and more private rooms inside.

Bangkok Chinese Restaurant in Nairobi Kenya

Unlike its name, Bangkok Chinese hotel is located in Parklands in Nairobi and offers authentic Chinese cuisine. Bangkok Restaurant in Nairobi is located on Amee Arcade in Parklands. Bangkok hotel offers a variety of traditional Chinese food with intricate detail just like you would find in China. Bangkok restaurant in Kenya is best known for its sea food specialty.

Some of the foods found in Chinese cuisine in Kenya include noodles, pepper prawns, garlic crabs,  and of course chicken for the people who would rather not try out something new. For those fascinated by the Eastern culture, you can treat yourself to some Chinese cuisine.

Your best friend will be celebrating her 27th birthday in a week’s time and you have settled on buying her a cake around Nairobi. The problem is you have no oven to bake the cake yourself, and even if you had the oven you are not very sure of how to bake a white forest cake. Worse still you do not know where to buy cakes in Nairobi. It could not get worse-right? Wrong!

There are very many cake shops found in Nairobi city and even better is that they bake a variety of cake flavors, shapes and sizes. The most popular of the cake shops in Nairobi city is Valentine Cake House.  Valentine Cake House is located on Old Mutual House along Kimathi Street in Nairobi city, Kenya. The Valentine Cake House specialize in all sorts of cakes from birthday to wedding cakes in Kenya.

Valentines Cake House also bakes a variety of flavors such as marble cakes, passion cakes, white and black forest cakes and vanilla cakes for Nairobi dwellers. They also make diabetic cakes for people suffering from diabetes in Kenya. Most of the cake prices in Valentines cake House range from KSH 1000 for a half kilogram cake to approximately KSH 5,500 for cakes weighing 5 kilograms.

Paul’s Cookiemans in Kenya is yet another famous bakery in Nairobi City. There are at least two Paul Cookiemans stores found in Nairobi City. One is along Moi Avenue in the famous Ambassador building while the second one is located along Accra Road in the city of Nairobi. This bakery also sells cookies of different flavors.  Paul Cookiemans bakery has more affordable cakes as compared to Valentines Cake House in Nairobi. You can get well baked cakes for as low as KSH 600 for half a kilo.

Vasilis bakery found on Ambassador building is another bakery right at the heart of the center of Nairobi. Bakers Inn is also another cake shop found in Nairobi City.

You also have an option of buying cakes from the various supermarket chains in Kenya which are all over Nairobi City. The best part about supermarkets in Kenya these days is that most of them actually have a bakery segment within the supermarket. The supermarket bakeries in Nairobi also sell varieties of cake flavors as well as different sizes.

All these cake shops, which are located at the Heart of Nairobi City, do packaging of the cakes once they are purchased. Cake shops in Nairobi such as Bakers Inn and Valentines Cake House go as far as delivering cakes to your home at a small fee. There is no reason why you should not look forward to celebrating your best friends 27th birthday!

Tusker lager is the largest beer brand in Kenya as well as East Africa. As a brand loved not only by its Kenyan consumers, but also by the thousands of tourist and visitors to the country, Tusker has become part of our Kenyan culture making it part and parcel of the national fabric.

First brewed in 1922, Tusker Larger has grown into a leading superior brand that many Kenyans identify with as a true and refreshing sprit of national heritage. Tusker acquired its name from an incident that occurred in 1923 ,when George Hurst a co-founder of the Kenya breweries ltd was killed by an elephant during a hunting expedition, the brand was then renamed ‘tusker’ in memory of Hurst.

Brewed using the highest quality malted barley grown in the rift valley, hops and water, Tusker Larger is a medium beer with an alcohol content of 4.2% ABV. With awards such as the gold medals in the international monde selection quality awards and the recently acquired SuperBrand status , Tusker Larger has confirmed its superior quality, time and the time has won the coveted Nation media group, pricewaterhousecoopers(NMGPWC)”most respected awrds”5 times.

The sponsorship packages that currently fall under the Tusker sports banner include; the Tusker Kenya open, the Tusker race day, the Tusker safari sevens, the Tusker Elgon cup, the Tusker cross country circuit, the Tusker football club ltd and the Tusker athletics international . Plans are underway for the brand to sponsor cricket starting this year.

Tusker adverts are very popular in Kenya and have set the trend in promoting national pride with very emotive TV images, soundtrack and lyrics. In a recent attempt to win a more youthful target group. The brand ventured into the daring sponsorship of Tusker Project Fame – the first ever reality show in the region which according to EABl, was a huge success. Through the Kenyan made brand, Tusker Larger also contributes its social responsibility. Its foundation focuses with a number of projects with key themes like water for life, skills for life and environment among others.

Tusker Larger advocates responsible drinking by those of legal drinking age limit. For a flagship brand from one of the most respected companies and indeed the biggest by market capitalization. Tusker Larger is indeed, proud to be Kenyan!

Nairobi has a number of top class restaurants that specialize in serving vegan and vegetarian. These may just be the most elusive eating joints for the utterly needy individuals thronging the streets of this beautiful city everyday.

The following is a list of some of the commonest vegan and vegetarian restaurants within the boundaries of The City In The Sun:

Chowpaty Pure vegetarian Restaurant

This is located along 4th Avenue, Parklands, Nairobi.

Telephone Line: +254-020-3748884

Ashiana Vegetarian Restaurant

This is situated at Apic Centre, along Muthithi Road, in Westlands, Nairobi City.

Telephone Line: +254-20-3749797

Jagannath Restaurant

The restaurant is located along the famous Kipande Road, Nairobi City.

Telephone Line: N/A

Riyas Delicious Corner

This is a great restaurant located along Shivachi Road, at MP Shah Hospital, on Doctor’s Plaza of Parklans, Nairobi City.

Telephone Line: +254733768443

LMS Guest House Restaurant

The restaurant is found near City Centre along Milimani Road in Nairobi City.

Telephone Line: +254-20-2710259, 2723019

Slush Limited

This restaurant is located along Parklands Road on Corner Plaza in Westlands, Nairobi City.

Telephone Line: +254-20-03751039

Ruchira

Ruchira is a vegetarian restaurant located along Kusi Lane at 4th Avenue, Parklands, Nairobi City.

Telephone Line: 0722613117

 

Bridges Organic Health Restaurant

This magnificent eating palace is situated in Upperhill Food Court along Tubman Road, Upperhill, Nairobi City.

Telephone Line: 254-715-076375

Besides the beautiful sun, cool breezes of the Indian Icean and spectacular beaches, Mombasa is also famous for its diverse cuisine offering Indian, Korean, Italian, Chinese, Arabic, Swahili and other mouth watering delicacies from all corners of the world. Notably, this is the land popular for Pilau and Biryani dishes amde from specially spiced rice, and cooked using the highly regarded coconut oil and milk.

The followig are some of the top hotels and restaurants you need to consider dropping by while on a vacation in the beautiful city of Mombasa:

Blue Room

A self-service restaurant with excellent cuisine options to choose from, including Indian cuisines, pizzas and burgers.

Arturo’s Italiano

Frequented by Italian tourists for delicious Italian delicacies and other interesting dishes from all over the world.

La Marina

This is a restaurant that caters for almost all people from all corners of the world. Seafoods are common delicacies here.

Chinese Galaxy

This is the most popular Chinese restaurant offering different delicacies at affordable rates.

Maridadi Restaurant & Bar

The restaurant offers cuisines at an international level. It caters for everyone’s needs.

Indo-Africa Restaurant

This is the oldest Indian restaurant in the region with great delicacies on their menu, but mainly Indian cuisines.

Tamarind Mombasa

It overlooks the Old Harbor of Mombasa island. The menu is mainly international seafood cuisine.

Safari Inn Bar & Restaurant

This a good eating point for regional delicacies and intermingling with foreign travelers in the area.

So Nairobi has unravelled a new 5 star hotel by the name Villa Rosa Kempinski. Villa Rosa Kempinski hotel in Nairobi is located on Chiromo Road towards the up market Westlands area. Clearly, even from its name and the kind of lighting at the front porch, Villa Rosa Kempinski hotel in Kenya is not a hotel for persons with 2 dollars to their name. Whilst on the busy Waiyaki Way in Nairobi, one can catch a glimpse of the fancy area of Villa Rosa Kempinski in Westlands. Villa Rosa Kempinski is a palatial hotel in Nairobi- in every sense of the word.

Talking of star hotels in Nairobi, reminds of me of one experience I had back in the day. Well this was in probably a two star or maybe three star hotel in Nairobi called Ole Sereni hotel in Nairobi, which is located on the busy Mombasa Road. I had the chance to dine there on one particular evening in the company of a close friend. Having been born and raised in Nyeri in Kenya, I had not yet had the chance to eat in a hotel where food is served in two courses in Kenya at the very least. So we get in, and we are offered some soup (I think it was mush room soup) and pieces of tiny bread (layman’s language). Then we were asked to order for the main meal. Poor village girl-all in Kenya I knew was that I wanted chicken. I looked to “kuku choma” or “kuku fry” but the kind of prints on the menu made me feel like I am ordering in a Chinese restaurant in Kenya. I finally settled on fried rice with chicken tepanyaki and teriyaki sauce-my consolation being that it had something to do with rice and chicken. When the food was served, my village mind argued out that I should pour the contents of the 3 plus plates onto the large plate on which they had been served. This would save me much time as I would have everything of the rice and stew with a single spoon scoop. My friend was quick to tell me that the big plate was a tray! Thank heavens he told me that before I could make a fool out of myself, and needless to say, the food ended up being too spicy for any non-Indian to enjoy!

A story is told of a lady who was taken out on a coffee date in Nairobi, Kenya. Oblivious to the new environment, the girl acted knowledgeable and ended up inserting the sugar bag in tea thinking that its contents would dissolve in the tea as does a teabag! Hilarious!

It is always advisable to “watch and learn”. If you are taken out to these fancy hotels, let they who took you be in the lead. You can observe what they are doing and if it seems to make sense-then it’s probably the right thing to do. Back to Villa Rosa Kempinski hotel in Nairobi, there was a discussion on radio that the hotel in Westlands has a bottle of wine that sells for a cool 1 million Kenyan shillings! Imagine that!! Credible source say that a tot (for those who drink) sells for 20,000 Kenyan shillings. I tend to argue like the hustler I am- that’s a month’s rent going down in one gulp! Curiosity got me to Google how much it would wring off you to spend a night at the Villa Rosa Kempinski hotel in Nairobi. The results were: to get accommodation in Villa Rosa Kempinski hotel in Nairobi is a whooping 30,000 Kenyan shillings for a normal suite and (brace for this) over 900,000 Kenyan shillings for the presidential suite in Kenya. Those are two cars in Kenya!!!!

Like I said Hotel Villa Rosa Kempinski in Kenya needs more than 2 dollars to your name!