Dragon Eye Kitchen — Restaurant in Nairobi

Every once in a while, an experience comes along that compels me to write a review. The restaurant business is a tough and an uncompromising one even in the best of times. With the pandemic these have been intensely challenging times for those in the business. Many restaurants, big and small closed down. So, it is gratifying nice to see Dragon Eye Kitchen open and hungry for business.

It has been on our list of restaurants to visit after hearing about it on a local foodie group in social media. With the lock down, the plans to visit it went into lock down too. And so, it was with a lot of excitement we decided to drop in for lunch last Saturday.

Dragon Eye Kitchen set at the back of a nondescript building. With that it felt like a secret kitchen, the location of which was shared privately and kept in close circles. Rustic yet intimate it felt like one of those rare places that you visit for the first time yet feel like you have been going there your whole life. Dragon Eye Kitchen felt like an extension of the living room in the owner’s home. The family were all in attendance. Very involved. Very hands on. Very welcoming and warm.

With carefully placed tables, socially distant, gentle instructions reminding you to wash up before you sit, and masked service staff they were taking CV19 protocols seriously which was reassuring. We had come knowing what we wanted. The much talked about char sui bao (steamed pork buns). But we also tried the typhoon prawns, sweet and sour pork, the beef chow fun (flat rice noodles with beef). What stood out for me was the char sui bao, which stood toe to toe with the finest from the many tea house I have sampled this in Hong Kong. Super fluffy, generously sized and stuffed with a sensational home cooked interpretation of the traditional char sui, the filling had an ideal mix of succulent pork meat and fat. It was delicious and strongly recommended. The other dish that stood out for me was the chow fun, the smoky ‘wok hei’ shining through. We had the mango snow cream for dessert. It was sublime and acted as a wonderful amuse bouche.

Clearly this place is set to go places. With innovative dishes like snow cream and some firsts in Kenya like the iconic bubble waffle (on our must try list for the next visit) strongly recommend visiting.

The passion the family shares for what they are trying to achieve at Dragon Eye is evident. They care about the food they make and care even more for the experience their customers get. Their food reflects their collective soul....

The Captain made a landing at @dragoneye_ke located along Rose Avenue, Hurlingham.

For starters I tried the Dragon eye sticky wings, winter melon soup, chicken sweet corn soup and chicken spring rolls. For mains the Char Siu (chicken) Singapore fried noodles, egg fried rice and the new peppercorn stir fried beef.

My first officer and I found the soups a bit too watery and bland along with the spring rolls which didn't have enough chicken filling. However the different types of homemade sauces on the table did help with the blandness. The Sticky wings were good but could have been crisper and fried just a tad longer as they were slightly cold on the inside. The Char Siu was good but also needed a bit more chicken. No complaints with the new peppercorn beef which was packed with flavour. The post meal cappuccino was a bit too milky (a common occurrence with the reviews lately) and a stronger or larger shot of coffee would definitely give it a better kick and taste.

Overall I would consider this turbulence as constructive criticism and with the different homemade sauces the dishes did taste better in the end. Personally I prefer more flavour in a dish whereas my first officer today liked it more plain. I guess having the chilli sauces and other condiments on the side covered both bases in this case.

The service and hospitality from the servers and the owners was exemplary and they made every effort to make sure we were happy and comfortable. Considering everything and the peaceful atmosphere it just manages to make a smooth landing.

The Captain will be back to try their whole chicken (24hrs Notice) and their special crab dishes (2hrs notice).

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This place is a GEM! I was so glad my friend and I found this place when looking for somewhere to eat around Kilimani. Dragon Eye Kitchen is a Hong Kong/Cantonese cuisine, which is quite different from mainstream Chinese cuisine found in Nairobi. I found the food a lot "drier" and healthier. The portions were big and tasty. Pure comfort food, if I could describe it in a few words. My friend and I ordered the typhoon squid, fried veg rice, some noodles, and of course the char siu bao, which were the size of my fist! Huge! And delicious! This place has one of those menus where I wanted to try every single thing. The service is great. The setting is very cozy and intimate - not a lot of room for big groups - probably best to book in advance. The owners are very sweet and welcoming. They accommodated my friend and I when the sun was at its peak, and gave us some history on the restaurant and the different menu items. Definitely will be back. Will definitely be...