Cafesserie — Restaurant in ziwa La Ng'ombe ward

I sit on the train to Nairobi. It moves forward slowly, precise as a Swiss clock. The wheels hit the tracks in a rhythm I cannot escape—thump thump thump . As if the train has found the beat of my heart and now controls me. I sink into a flow between sleep and wakefulness.

Through half-open eyelids, I drift into a dream. I see myself at Cafesserie, seated deep in a chair at the far end of the café. The air shimmers with heat, but under the fan, a cool breeze soothes the worst of it. The sounds of waiters balancing clinking plates and cups, guests laughing, toasting their wine—life itself pulsating around me.

Then, suddenly, everything goes quiet. As if she alone has the power to press pause on the world.

She sets my cappuccino in front of me—not too hot, not too cold, not too thick, not too thin. Perfect. And on top, a small heart, as if made just for me.

I have seen her often there. She stands right across from me, calm, unshaken, brewing the best coffee. She writes something on a note, her fingers moving across the paper with a quiet grace, while her other hand plays with her braids. They fall like threads, weave together, and gather into a knot—like roots searching for the earth.

Her skin has a lightness to it, like silk against bare skin. Lips, shaped like two rose petals, closed and secretive. Her fingers, long and elegant, glide over the paper like a flamingo over the water’s surface, searching for words to capture. Her blouse and trousers follow the contours of her body, neither bold nor provocative. They follow her, softly, like the smile she occasionally lets slip—not radiant, not dazzling, but warm, like a glimpse of stars behind the clouds.

I wake up.

The train trudges on, undisturbed by the night that wraps the landscape in silence. I feel sleep pulling me back under, my heartbeat steady, my breath even.

And I keep dreaming...

I have been going to this cafe for 12 years now. It is consistent and well maintained for what I deem to be a hefty price. I’m ok with the price for the quality.

Today, I came with my young 7-year-old son after a long time. He has an allergy to nuts, except peanut, almond and macadamia (mixed tree nut allergy). His typical reaction is anaphylaxis with hospitalization, from the past, to cashew. We ordered the linguine with pesto and macadamia. The allergy was disclosed - I clarified that only macadamia was ok, other nuts were not. I was reassured that only macadamia were in the pasta.

My son informed me after one bite that he was experiencing an itchy mouth and throat - classic early symptoms of an allergen exposure. My wife and I are both medical (nurse and doctor respectively). The head of the wait staff anxiously returned to inform us that cashew was substituted for macadamia and that the menu was not updated.

The linguine was promptly removed from the table. My son was in pain, threw up and we ended up having to take allergy medications. He remained sick and cried for the hour that followed because of what I deem to be poor standards and awareness of modern day food allergies. I clarified to the manager that this could have been a fatality on their premises today. Food allergies are serious!

We had about 25% cut from our bill. I kept my composure because I simply had to; we could have had my boy in the hospital had he not been vigilant of his own health and had my wife and I not have been able to spot the signs. I am deeply disappointed and concerned by this experience. I will not return...

As some who travels time to time ,Mombasa has always been in my bucket list of business trips.Its not my to go places but it comes in handy when business calls .Anyways am a lover of great lattes,pasta and a serene ambiance,vibrant atmosphere and just love to see people dining and enjoying themselves with great meals and drinks.This Restaurant is awesome,the food was amazing and the staff were very knowledgeable about the menu and they even gave me options that saved me lots of waiting time ,had a great experience and I highly recommend to anyone looking for a restaurant to just chills and enjoy a good meal and drink.This place is great.I loved my experience there however if only they can hire one super energetic supervisor to be walking around and checking in on guests feedback and suggestions.Particularly the seats just felt off, the table is taller than the seat ,felt like I was eating from the hanging gardens ,pliiiiz somebody change the damn seats.Otherwise the...