EDITORIAL
HAPPY
NEW year...
again!
Happy New Year! Yes, you read right. And no, we haven’t gone bonkers, it’s just that
February 19 is Chinese New Year (CNY) which in 2015, is the Year of the Goat.
T
he last month at EatOut has
been insanely crazy. We
spent the weeks running
up to Nairobi Restaurant
Week working round the
clock to make sure that thousands
of Nairobians had the opportunity
to enjoy the city’s finest restaurants
at accessible prices. Thanks to our
sponsors, Magnum and Viva, diners
were offered amazing deals on drinks
to complement the impressive NRW
menus. Furthermore, partners like
Twitter Africa and taxi ordering app
Uber, worked tirelessly to amplify the
event. Over a dozen restaurants even
chose to extend NRW due to the
overwhelmingly positive response.
Of course as #NRW2015 came
to an end, the hype for Valentine’s
Day came roaring in. Restaurants
all over Nairobi developed bespoke
menus to create the perfect evening
for our city’s lovebirds. These
unique offers were curated and
captured on the EatOut site and are
discoverable through the hashtag
#yummyvalentines.
Here at Yummy we believe that
any excuse to party is a good
excuse and seeing that the Chinese
expat community here in Nairobi
is growing at the speed of light, we
decided to investigate what the
celebration entails and hopefully
crash a karaoke party or two. With
that in mind, we set out to uncover
everything Chinese New Year related.
From firecrackers, to red lanterns,
potstickers, crouching tigers and
hidden dragons (see what I did
there?), we researched and waited
for the party invites to arrive. Alas,
to no avail. It seems as though
the Chinese community here likes
to keep a low profile, or decided
we weren’t cool enough to invite
(impossible). That didn’t stop us
from making our own improvised
CNY fun though. How? With an issue
dedicated to CNY of course!
So for a capitalist-inspired Sino
tour of what delectable Chinese
goodies our vibrant city has to offer,
read on! In this issue, you’ll learn
how to use chopsticks, meet the
chefs at Taste of China and of course,
find out what Chinese New Year is all
about. Additionally read about Susan
Wong’s experience at one of the
Chinese Embassy staff’s favourite
Chinese restaurants in Nairobi
(can you get a more legitimate
endorsement than that?). If you
are so inclined, flip forward and try
making an Oriental dish or two from
the specially featured recipes out
of the new cookbook from Nairobi’s
renowned Zen Garden. Test our
flavourful Asian-inspired cocktail
recipes, making sure not to ruin
your New Year’s health resolutions
by following Amy Selbach’s tips on
healthy options in Chinese cuisine.
Finally if you are more Merlot than
black tea, read our Concha Y Toro
wine ambassador interview and
experiment with our Asian oriented
cocktails.
As we strive to be the most
comprehensive resource for
everything food and drink related in
Kenya, we look forward to keeping
you informed about the best this
country has to offer. Look out for
some exciting events coming up,
including Dinner in the Dark, one of
the most unique dining experiences
on this year’s food calendar.
Stay Yummy!
Hiyabel Tewoldemedhin
General Manager
EatOut Africa
7.