A corner of Italy in the heart of Nairobi - Mediterraneo Italian Restaurant

Ahem! Mediterraneo is an Italian restaurant with two outlets currently open - one in Westgate and another in Junction. I find myself in the Junction outlet for dinner with a bunch of pretty senior & high-ranking guys (and gals) from the company I work with - which is to say I had to really rush the photos without having much luxury time to do proper arrangements or make sure there were no shadows, etc - sorry!

Anyways the decorations are nice and cozy. Definitely a very inviting and warm feel. Having never been to Italy I can't comment on how authentic it is, although the restaurant was opened by an Italian expatriate.


Bread basket with butter - nothing special about the bread or the butter, would have appreciated a bit more variety.


On to the appetizers! I thoroughly enjoyed the Prosciutto Di Parma e Melone Di Voi (Slices of honey-dew melon with Parma ham, 900 KSh)! The saltiness of the ham went very well with the sweetness-and-juiciness of the honey dew. I did initially wonder why I've never seen this dish in any of the Italian joints in Kay-El - but then I remembered that ham is non-halal. Pity ... =(.


Salmone Affumicato Norvegese (Norwegian smoked salmon, 950 KSh). Can't comment because I didn't try it ... which is unfortunate because I love salmon - raw, cooked, smoked, pan fried - anything!


One of our guests was vegetarian so the kitchen whipped up a grilled mixed vegetables platter.


Strangely I can't find this dish below on the menu. I do remember it was some kind of grilled fish fillet.


Me, I'm more of a meat guy so I have the Costata Alla Fiorentina (Classic Florentine T-bone thick and juicy, 1,150 KSh). Not sure if you know this, because I didn't until very recently, but the T-bone is actually a combination of a Strip Steak on one side, and the Tenderloin on the other. This particular steak was huge. Not sure the photo does it justice, because it was close to 1.5-inches thick. It turns out to be a pleasantly delicious slab of meat - nicely seasoned and not too salty, although the inner part of the meat was bordering on 'rare.' For a place that doesn't 'specialize' in steak, it's a great achievement.


If you don't fancy beef, or if you don't feel like a half a kilogram of meat, there's the Costolette D’Agnello Marinate Alla Griglia (Marinated lamb chops, delicately grilled, 900 KSh):


Mediterraneo was by some margin the best Italian restaurant I visited in Nairobi - definitely worth a visit. Prices are reasonable, too!

(At time of writing, 1000 KSh = rm 36.33)