Talisman Restaurant — Restaurant in Karen ward

When you walk in, the ambiance is super romantic. The outdoor seating is much better on a warmish night but even when it’s cool out they provide you with these cute little frog shaped jikos by your table to warm you up.

For starters we had the Talisman Nyati Wings and the Feta & Coriander Samosas. Honestly, I am in LOVE with those wings. I don’t think there are better wings anywhere in Kenya. You know how people say Slims has the original buffalo chicken wings – THESE give Slims a run for their money! The Blue Cheese sauce with the wings is perfect, not overpowering at all and compliments the wings beautifully. If you’re feeling adventurous and like spice then ask for the wings to be made in the Taliban sauce – but your bum won’t thank you in the morning! The Samosas were also amazing, not oily at all like most samosas tend to be and the filling was so creamy and tasty. I reckon I could live on those starters for the rest of my life!

Also, I’d just like to note – I simply mentioned to our waiter that the pork burger wasn’t to my liking, just personally – nothing to do with the burger itself, and he immediately removed it from my bill! This is what I call excellent customer service.

For dessert I had the Belgian Chocolate Fondant as soon as I took my first bite I was in heaven. Seriously. I’d died and gone to heaven. When I cut into the little fondant all this chocolate came oozing out all over my plate, the outer cake bit was so soft and paired with their home made ice cream… I just don’t have words to...

I had made a reservation in advance, and upon arrival, we were warmly greeted by the hostesses. They were friendly, professional, and made us feel welcome right away. The ambience was absolutely splendid, and the food was truly excellent — beautifully prepared and full of flavor.

Unfortunately, the experience was badly let down by our waiter, M**. From the beginning, he was noticeably rude and seemed irritated by even the simplest questions. Things took a shocking turn when he actually shouted at my daughter over a completely harmless request. She said she wanted pizza and the guy was like 'gani?... gani?.. seemingly with an irritated face. It was not only unprofessional, it was downright rude.

It’s incredibly disappointing to have such behavior overshadow what should have been a lovely evening. The rest of the staff and the kitchen clearly put in a lot of effort, but Mutua's conduct was unacceptable and deeply upsetting. I sincerely hope management takes this seriously as no guest should be...

A smoker’s paradise. How does one sit down to enjoy a meal when you have second hand smoking wafting in from all corners even when seated in the non smoking section. In addition to that, the place was filthy, cigarette butts strewn all over, uncleaned furniture full of leaves and dust, the rustic charm of the interior is rendered all but useless when it’s so unclean... The food was average at best, and the restaurant seemed to be full of extremely loud, boorish and drunk tourists even though it was in the early afternoon. However, it wasn’t all bad news, the waiters were extremely friendly & professional although we were made to wait a while for the food to arrive. Nevertheless they were cordial & friendly. My advice, your money is better spent elsewhere, the Talisman is a short drive from Hemingway’s even CJ’s at the Hub mall which is a far classier joint, cleaner and the food is way better. For a place ranked as one of the best restaurants it really does leave a lot...