The best restaurant I have been to in Nairobi.
Wow, big statement right! Actually, The Talisman is up there with Cultiva but it was a restaurant that exceeded all expectations.
Magically romantic farm venue
Cultiva is a pop up on an organic farm in Langata. I’d call it rustic Fine Dining. The Food is fine dining, the venue farmyard chic. Yesterday, Cultiva was filled with fresh roses from the farm They twirled round pillars and filled the bar whilst fairy light twinkled in in the sky. It was impossibly romantically beautiful. The restaurant space is nestled between two shipping containers that act as kitchens. The main kitchen a huge open workspace where you can watch the chefs make dreams come true. On the other side of the room is a vast open bar, made of chunky wood and backed by exposed brick walls. The furniture made of converted barrels sits around high tables, decorated with baobab pods and candles.
Cultiva is the baby and brainchild of the inspiring Ariel Moscardi's Ecuadorian talent. Trained at Le Cordon Bleu his passion for creating beautiful food from local, organic and in season food was taken a step further when he teamed up with Peter Silvester, owner of Royal African Safari’s and the Cultiva farm. The duo work hard to create gourmet safari's that serve exquisite food. Customers at the luxury camps are served food that uses only food from the farm or that they can source locally.
In the safari off season the idea for Cultiva was born. The idea of a pop up restaurant was initially conceived as a way to use over abundance of fresh produce. Now in its second year, Cultiva has been running since March 2019 and this is the last week before they close for safari season. However, Cultiva will be back in August and Ariel has big plans.
Emphasis on the best locally sourced, organic ingredients
Ariel refuses to use produce that isn’t of the highest quality. He personally sources the suppliers and if he can’t find one that meets his exacting standard then that item won't be on the menu. He drops by our table and spends time enthusiastically eulogising on the amazing quality of the pork that he has sourced from a lady on the Ngong Hills. “The fat is marbled”, he explains “this produces a more flavoured meat, and pork so tender you can eat it with a spoon”.
This commitment to providing the best is echoed in the beautiful dishes that are brought to our table. The food is an explosion of colour and flavour, the plates so pretty with purple flowers, red fruit, pinkly pickled onions, tiny fragile green herbs.
Beautifully presented, flavorful food
The menu changes according to what is ripe on the farm and this week its Baos buns. Baos are a Chinese steamed bun or dumpling stuffed with different fillings. We order smoked beef in creamy oyster sauce and BBQ pork in a spicy sauce. The dumplings are fat bottomed ladies whose unctuous fillings spill on to the plate when cut. The pork can indeed be eaten with a spoon, richly delicious, we use the buns to mop up the gravy.
For main I choose tuna tartar – served on globes of potato and decorated with micro herbs and little purple flowers. The tuna is delicately flavoured and scattered with ripe avocado. My friend has the octopus with a hollandaise foam. Potatoes are crunchy, the foam an epheremal delight. The star of the show is undoubtedly the pork ribs. Cooked sous vide for three days, they melt off the bone and are a smokey sticky delight.
Pudding is passion pannacotta. The pannacotta is topped with meringue like my grandma used to make, chewy yet crisp, its sweetness offset with a liberal helping of fresh passion fruit. It’s a delight. All of it is mesmeric. Just the best food I’ve had in a long time.
Cultiva does cocktails, which are a little over average in price but very yummy and a global wine list with reasonably priced wines from Argentina, France, South Africa and Israel.
The evening was convivial and warm. The rustic atmosphere and friendliness of the staff offset the formality of the food. It was fine dining minus the stiff, stuffy pomposity. I strongly suggest we petition the team at Cultiva to make this a permanent addition to the Nairobi restaurant scene. It is a hidden gem. Go there, go there now
How to visit Cultiva
Open from 12 – 9 daily until the end of May
Location: Cultiva Farm, Pofu Road (off Bogani), Langata
Tel: 0742 476696
Check Facebook for menu updates: https://web.facebook.com/Cultiva-Kenya-2240433476201667/
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