The Carnivore Restaurant
Best Nairobi Restaurants

© In Kenya? You have to eat at Carnivore Restaurant in Nairobi
"Does anyone have any special interests or request?" I asked my new safari guests on the night I met them. "I want to try and eat the whole savanna!" It took me a while to realize what he meant. “Oh for a night at the Carnivore” I thought to myself.

The Carnivore Restaurant in Nairobi has since stopped serving much of the game meat it was famous for but the experience is no less intimidating with steaks of beef, chicken, pork, lamb, ostrich crocodile and more been served to guests who realize soon after starting that it is pointless to resist trying to taste everything.

We were welcomed with a 'Maya', a vodka based drink of honey and lime on ice. After a few sips of this new delicacy I realized that a few more could make for a very pleasant evening but a terrifying morning after. I settled for a Tusker beer to compliment my carnivorous longings.

'Is anyone vegetarian?' seemed an out of place question in an abode where the smell of roasting meat permeated the sense of place. A vegetarian's nightmare, the carnivore holds nothing back, from the entrance where chunks of meat hang from long spears over an open fire to the lowering of a flag on the table to signify surrender.

In a place where swallowing huge amounts of meat is the goal the little bowl of tomato soup as a starter seemed a little odd and the very lonely looking salad leaves that were brought to the table with all the sauces and other additives seemed to shrivel with each moment that past.

Voted one of the top 50 restaurants in the world in 2006 The Carnivore Restaurant still lives up to its reputation as a carnivorous orgy, despite the lack of game meat in its menu. This was a measure introduced by the Kenyan authorities in a bid to stem illegal hunting of its wildlife.

"There will never again be a time when I can consume so much meat without a conscience", I thought to myself as I contemplated another ostrich meatball.

When the flag was finally dropped we were shocked to see the waiter moving towards us with what looked like a menu. It was - the desert menu. I settled for some Kenyan tea.

By Leigh Kemp

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